Florida State quarterback McKenzie Milton has put his surgically repaired knee through the paces so far through offseason workouts and three practices this spring.
“I feel really good out there,” Milton said last week after the Seminoles’ first practice in full pads. “I don’t feel like there are any hiccups or anything like that running around. I feel comfortable out on the field and seeing the field.
“I’m still trying to get to the point that the offense is second-nature. I feel like the only way to get there is to continue to get into my playbook and continue to get those reps. Not just live reps, but mental reps when guys are taking reps. I feel very confident out there.”
Milton, a former Mililani (Oahu) standout, transferred to Florida State in December after five seasons at Central Florida, but the senior hasn’t played competitively since suffering a gruesome injury during the regular-season finale against South Florida on Nov. 23, 2018. After multiple surgeries and two years of rehabilitation, Milton hopes to once again take the field, this time as a Seminole.
The biggest challenge for Milton has been with the playbook.
“He’s done a really nice job of learning it and putting in the work, because that doesn’t just happen,” offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham said of Milton after the first day of practice. “He’s putting in the work necessary to go out there and execute in Day 1.”
“There’s always some similarities from one offense to another, so you can try and connect some stuff,” Milton said. “At the same time, you have to flush your memory of what you learned and have an open mind to what our coaches are trying to teach you.
“In a way, I feel like a freshman and being a sponge and learning and not being in the same system for a long time. I’ve played a lot of ball and seen a lot of things. I’m still learning every day. I learn something new every play and every rep, every practice. I’m just trying to get better every day.”
Milton’s presence has been felt among the younger quarterbacks on the roster, such as Jordan Travis, Chubba Purdy and Tate Rodemaker, in the form of experience and leadership.
“It’s a blessing for sure, for all of us,” Travis said. “All of us are relatively young compared to McKenzie. He’s the pops of the room, so we’re just trying to learn from him. He’s had a great career at UCF and he’s very talented and we’re just trying to pick his brain to make ourselves better players.”
Milton said he feels like he can “bring some insight to the young guys.”
“At the same time, they help me a lot in learning the offense,” Milton said. “I really appreciate them in that aspect, that if I have a question, they’re helping me learn. It’s a give-and-take relationship. I appreciate those guys coming to work and competing with them every day, and we’re all getting better out there and that’s what it’s all about.”
Milton hopes to get to the point where everything is second nature to him.
“Not thinking about signals, thinking about formations and stuff like that,” Milton said. “I feel like once that kind of stuff becomes second nature, where I know my job cold, I’ll feel completely comfortable out there playing. Because physically, I feel like I can make all the throws and I can run, I can cut. So what I want to get out of this spring is, mentally, know my job cold.”