Former Florida State quarterback announces retirement from football

The former Seminole is stepping away from the game but his comeback wasn't a failure. It was a success story.

Former UCF and Florida State quarterback McKenzie Milton announced his retirement on his Instagram page on Thursday night. Milton joined Florida State before the 2021 season after working his way back from a catastrophic leg injury in 2018. The Hawaiian native was considered a walking miracle when some doctors believed that he was going to lose his leg. His resiliency, toughness, and faith were all key factors in his return to the field. 

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The former three-star appeared in six games, starting in four, for the Seminoles, throwing for 775 yards and three touchdowns. After the season, Milton stated that he was “holding out hope for an NFL career”. Milton was not selected in the NFL draft or picked up by a team as an undrafted free agent and now he has officially called it quits. 

Here is McKenzie Milton’s statement below:

"There is no easy way to put or say this but my playing days of football have come to an end. With the culmination of the 2022 NFL draft it has become pretty evident that a path to the NFL is not realistic given the external variables. Having said that…

I want to thank all of you for the love and support over the years. A 5-foot-11, 160-pound, skinny Haole boy from Mililani, Hawaii was able to live out his football dream all the way in Florida and I’ll be forever grateful for that. To all my boys you already know what it is. 

A lot of people will wonder what if he never got hurt what if this what if that? I asked myself those same questions for a while too. It wasn’t until November 23, 2021 (three year anniversary of my injury) where I saw my son for the first time on ultrasound and then understood why I went through what I went through. It took three years to put it all in perspective. I get goosebumps thinking about how divine it is that three years to the day I get hurt, is the same day I see my baby boy for the first time.

As much as I love playing QB and being in the locker room with the guys, I know there’s no greater opportunity/responsibility in this world than being a father. And let me make a call out to all the dads out there..step up and lead your families!! God bless you all and much love."

Many people will ask what could have been if he was able to stay healthy during his time at UCF. The QB put up astonishing numbers in 2017 and 2018 to the point where he was being mentioned for the Heisman trophy. He started his career with UCF in 2016 and officially left after the 2020 season where he was able to practice but did not see action due to the earlier injury. During his career with the Knights, he totaled 8,686 passing yards in three seasons throwing for 72 touchdowns and rushing for 20, ranking him 4th all-time in UCF total touchdowns. 

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Milton was a dynamic football player and will always be a great inspiration to all of us. The former 24-year-old quarterback may not have performed on the field to his expectation at FSU, but he was a big part of the culture change and bought into what Coach Mike Norvell is trying to build here in Tallahassee. Even though he won’t be playing football anymore, there is a good chance we will see him coaching or around the game in some capacity. 

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