FSU football: McKenzie Milton talks signing with the Noles

FSU football has signed UCF graduate transfer McKenzie Milton.

FSU football needed a quarterback in the 2021 recruiting cycle after four-star Luke Altmyer decided to de-commit and stay home to attend Ole Miss.

The choices were to pursue another high school quarterback that’s committed elsewhere and try to flip them or try to find a diamond in the rough late in the game.

The final and most logical choice was finding a quarterback in the transfer portal. The pros far outweigh the cons, and Mike Norvell wasted no time when former UCF star quarterback McKenzie Milton announced he was putting his name in the portal a little over a week ago.

Milton announced he had committed to the Noles Sunday afternoon and signed with the program on Tuesday:

Milton spoke with ESPN’s Andrea Adelson when announcing his commitment to FSU and spoke about knowing he was coming to FSU football to compete for the job and spoke more about what he plans to bring when he arrives at Seminoles.com:

"“The process of competing for championships starts now, and I know it’s not going to be easy, but I’m excited for this next chapter. I’m looking forward to being part of the quarterback room and supporting Jordan, Chubba and Tate. They’re going to push me to get better and I’m going to push them to get better. We’re going to hold each other accountable to do the work it takes. Just like at UCF, FSU is going to get my best effort in and out of the locker room. I couldn’t think of a better place to be than FSU.”"

Thoughts

I wrote about the impact McKenzie Milton could have on the FSU football program on Monday. This impact is the type of stuff I was talking about when it comes to player development, leadership, and helping to build a new culture.

Milton mentioning the word accountability tells you all you need to know about why Mike Norvell wanted someone like him to have an opportunity to lead this team. Milton made it clear when speaking to Adelson, he wasn’t promised the starting position and will have to earn the job and respect from his teammates.

It’s something he’s had to do at the college level when he joined the UCF program. If Milton has the goods, it’ll show at practice, and the players will recognize it, and accept it. If he doesn’t earn the starting job, I’m sure they’ll continue to play hard for Jordan Travis or whomever the starter is at the time.

For the first time in a long time, there will be two proven quarterbacks in the FSU football locker room, and the program will be better because of it.