Georgia Football Freshmen Faces: RB, Kendall Milton

All of Georgia's freshmen from the nation's No. 1 recruiting class are enrolled and on campus for off season workouts. Today, we take a look at RB, Kendall Milton.
Georgia Football Freshmen Faces: RB, Kendall Milton
Georgia Football Freshmen Faces: RB, Kendall Milton /

In a day and age where the first four running backs drafted in the 2020 NFL Draft — Clyde Edwards-Helaire, D'Andre Swift, Jonathan Taylor, and J.K. Dobbins — are all 5'10 and less than 225 pounds, the idea of a 6'2, 227-pound freshman running back is daunting. 

Kendall Milton arrived on campus back in January as an already big back, weighing in at 216 pounds and within a matter of 23 days, he was up to 227 pounds. The young man from Clovis, California is a rare physical specimen. 

He's not alone in terms of physicality in the Georgia backfield either. Zamir White is nearing 230 pounds, and Kenny McIntosh has added a considerable amount of weight since arriving on campus in 2019. 

As for Milton's running style, however, sure he possesses the ability to run over defenders as you would expect, but it's his patience and ability to make the first defender miss that stands out to me on tape. 

Imagine playing Tetris, a game designed to fit a variety of blocks into a confined space. That's exactly how Kendall runs the football, laterally moving his way through the open pockets of the defense created by the blockers in front of him before ultimately pressing the gas pedal and getting vertical. 

Some have compared his game to other large and physical backs such as Eddie George, but to me, he's the reincarnation of Le'Veon Bell of the New York Jets. The two backs are inherently patient behind the line of scrimmage, allowing their blockers in front of them to gain progress and movement on the down linemen and reaching the second level before he is bursting into the secondary. 

It goes without saying that Georgia's running back room is incredibly deep. Zamir White is expected to handle the first down duties this fall. James Cook is expected to finally find a roll in the knew Pro-Spread offense of Todd Monken that provides many more opportunities for a running back of his skill set as opposed to the pro-style inside zone offense of yesteryear in Athens. 

Kenny McIntosh is an ultra-talented back that is the combination of skillsets between the Zamir Cook style back with the burst and versatility of a back like Cook. So, Kendall has his work cut out for him in terms of running down playing time, but there's no doubt he will be featured at some point this fall. He's simply too talented not to be. 

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Published
Brooks Austin
BROOKS AUSTIN

Brooks Austin is a former college football player turned journalist and broadcaster. Follow him on Twitter @BrooksAustinBA