UCF QB McKenzie Milton enters portal
He was a pretty accomplished player before his injury. It would be interesting to see if UM might be a possible fit (if Harbaugh is still around), as he has talent and is looking for a chance to compete for a starting job. Coach Harbaugh has shown a willingness to take experienced QB transfers, and we would be thin at the position next year if one of ours were to exit for greener pastures.
Obviously several things would have to happen to make that a real possibility, but crazier things have happened. Regardless, I'm pulling for the kid to get a shot somewhere after overcoming such a significant injury.
December 3rd, 2020 at 2:19 PM ^
Too short.
December 3rd, 2020 at 2:31 PM ^
He’s also super productive, and an inch taller than Kyler Murray.
I really don’t care how tall a kid is. With our string of recent QBs, it’s not like any of our 6’5” or 6’6” options have done all that well. I just want a great QB for once. Not real picky on his height.
December 3rd, 2020 at 2:37 PM ^
Given our QB injury history, I don't like our odds of keeping him healthy, and the poor kid has already suffered one gruesome injury.
December 3rd, 2020 at 2:43 PM ^
OR we could say he already got his injury out of the way...
December 3rd, 2020 at 3:38 PM ^
I remember this being the exact reason that people said that we shouldn't go after Taysom Hill. Now he's starting for the Saints and it turns out he wasn't made out of glass after all.
December 3rd, 2020 at 4:17 PM ^
That’s a much different argument than “too short” though.
December 3rd, 2020 at 3:43 PM ^
Looking at his stats, it's just amazing how far behind Michigan is when it comes to offense.
His 2017 statline - 4037yds, 67.1 completion%, 37 TDs, and 9 INTs would easily be the greatest single season for a Michigan QB, as we've never even had a 4000 yard passer *or* a 30 TD guy.
Even his injury shortened 2018 season would be historical for Michigan. Milton's 2663 yards would put him 8th on our all-time list, and his 25 TDs in 10 games would tie Grbac/Henne for the top spot.
December 3rd, 2020 at 4:32 PM ^
Michigan is all about ball control. Keep everything short and sweet and let the defense win the game.
December 3rd, 2020 at 4:57 PM ^
Hows that working out for us?
December 3rd, 2020 at 5:02 PM ^
It’s a process. Usually takes seven years to get up to speed.
December 3rd, 2020 at 7:36 PM ^
I have a rusty AMC Gremlin under tarp here somewhere that gets up to speed faster than that.
December 3rd, 2020 at 2:59 PM ^
Too short? Seriously! This kid was a straight baller and was getting some Heisman sniffs. If he is physically back to where he was, he will be heavily sought after by many teams.
December 3rd, 2020 at 3:14 PM ^
That's a rather large "IF"
December 3rd, 2020 at 4:21 PM ^
I agree with the big "IF" for sure. But his height has nothing to do with how good he was/is as he has already proved that.
December 3rd, 2020 at 2:21 PM ^
Michigan should focus on corners in that portal.
December 3rd, 2020 at 2:31 PM ^
The corners will be fine. We need Defensive Tackles.
December 3rd, 2020 at 2:51 PM ^
Any coaches in this "portal" you speak of?
December 3rd, 2020 at 4:17 PM ^
Were you one of the people saying the exact same thing about our corners this past off season?
December 3rd, 2020 at 6:21 PM ^
Don't look now but I think we are equally in trouble at LB.
December 4th, 2020 at 12:46 AM ^
Are there a lot of good DTs in the portal? Asking for my friend, Don Brown.
December 3rd, 2020 at 2:22 PM ^
He needs to hurry up and find a team before he is eligible for Social Security.
December 3rd, 2020 at 2:25 PM ^
Why not? Half of next year's roster may be straight from the portal
December 3rd, 2020 at 2:27 PM ^
Ah, so we haven't had enough Milton's from FL yet, eh?
December 3rd, 2020 at 2:32 PM ^
At least this one has completed 62% of his career passes for 72 TDs
December 3rd, 2020 at 3:35 PM ^
Harbaugh could release the name of his starting QB earlier in the week. Who's starting?
... Milton
December 3rd, 2020 at 4:03 PM ^
Paradise lost?
December 3rd, 2020 at 2:32 PM ^
1. No more Milton's!
2. No more transfer starting QB's.
December 3rd, 2020 at 2:34 PM ^
Yeah, god forbid we go get a transfer QB like Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts, or Justin Fields. That would be truly awful and spell doom for our program.
December 3rd, 2020 at 2:42 PM ^
Or we can get a transfer QB like JOK or Shea's 2nd year and everyone will shit themselves because the coaching staff is not developing their own QB's and playing transfers instead of recruits that should play in their place.
December 3rd, 2020 at 3:07 PM ^
Well, at the present moment, and that's not to say that this opinion is solidified, but I would feel a lot better about McKenzie Milton than I would about, say, Dan Villari based on what is known. That is not to discount what we've seen from Cade McNamara, but from an overall depth standpoint, I do not understand the aversion unless we're that traumatized by the record thus far.
December 3rd, 2020 at 3:27 PM ^
Big Danny V gonna put up 350 yards and 3 TDs* on the Buckeyes this year.
*Standard margin of error applies: +/- 345 yards, +/- 3 TDs.
December 3rd, 2020 at 3:59 PM ^
I will take 695 yds and 6 TDs!
December 3rd, 2020 at 4:15 PM ^
Or we can stick with recruits like Brandon Peters, Dylan McCaffrey, Joe Milton and Cade McNamara. Because they’ve all done SOOOOO much better than JOK or Shea.
Newsflash. The two best QBs in Harbaugh’s tenure were both transfers. Let’s NOT discount QBs simply because they’re in the portal. If you can go to the portal and get an upgrade, you ABSOLUTELY do it. Why? Because all the elite teams do this.
Why in the hell would you turn down a great player coming to your team simply because he went to a different school first? That’s just dumb.
December 3rd, 2020 at 7:41 PM ^
You shouldn’t discount them and you also should admit that Jim is a horrible evaluator of high school QB talent and/or is a horrible developer of QB’s. Likely both.
December 4th, 2020 at 12:29 AM ^
What do all of those highly recruited underachievers(minus Rudock) have in common?
For the ten millionth time, we are so far past it being about the players.
December 4th, 2020 at 7:57 AM ^
I don’t recall saying it had nothing to do with the coaching? I said when there’s an available upgrade in the portal, you get them. Period. The reason it’s an upgrade is irrelevant.
if you had a shot at Justin Fields, why would you tell him no?
December 3rd, 2020 at 4:59 PM ^
Shea’s 2018 season was the best start to finish season a Michigan QB had since...Denard 2010?
December 3rd, 2020 at 2:52 PM ^
Can he run? If we are not running RPOs maybe we just need to get a QB with some wheels. Speed in space right?
December 3rd, 2020 at 3:00 PM ^
Already have a Milton
December 3rd, 2020 at 3:01 PM ^
Trade one Milton for another!
December 3rd, 2020 at 3:16 PM ^
Take him. The best QBs we've had are the ones that Harbaugh has had the least amount of time coaching. He would be great for us.
December 3rd, 2020 at 3:54 PM ^
No kidding. But, I don't want him or any other halfway decent QB to come here because I think this coaching staff will ruin him.
Honestly, wtf happened with Harbaugh? Rudock was an unabashed success story. I follow Iowa very closely and he was only halfway decent for the Hawks and the fan base was pretty unenthused with him. But, he gets one grad-season with Harbaugh and he turns into an NFL back-up. I thought Speight was fine but he clearly didn't progress the same way Rudock did. O'Korn seems to have gotten worse and under Harbaugh, Patterson played himself out of draft territory. Now we have Milton who looked great in one game, somewhat good in two others but then turned back into a pumpkin. McNamara also showed flashes but I'm afraid of what will happen next. I can't help but feel that Milton and McNamara would be good-to-excellent at other big-time programs.
December 3rd, 2020 at 4:33 PM ^
Big-time programs don't generally give scholarships to QBs who complete less than 50% of their passes every season in High School. Milton is in a pretty rare category, and I think it is very difficult to predict how he would have developed under even the best QB coach and head coach. UM shouldn't be in a situation where they feel the need to take such gambles at the QB position. If they had just recruited, say, the 6th best QB in the Big10 (middle of the road), with traditional credentials and achievements, they'd be way better off than they are now.
December 3rd, 2020 at 11:00 PM ^
I mean Florida, Georgia, LSU and a couple of others felt Milton's upside was worth taking on a shot on as well.
December 4th, 2020 at 4:32 PM ^
Milton’s scholarship offer list would beg to differ. Michigan is far from the only big time program that saw the potential in an extremely raw prospect and felt they could mold him. Milton has the size and arm strength of an elite QB. If he could tweak his mechanics to improve the accuracy (something he HAS vastly improved on) and gain some consistency in that, he was going to be elite.
December 3rd, 2020 at 7:37 PM ^
Rudock got a cup of coffee in the NFL because he has / had an NFL-level mind. That's what a QB needs to succeed under Harbaugh. Luck and Rudock, NFL-level minds. Everyone else shits the bed as they get introduced to the complexity that Harbaugh requires his QB's to understand.
That's one thing that tells me he's still heavily involved in the offense. He keeps putting it on these QBs.
Instead of simplifying, Harbaugh makes it difficult. Go to the NFL, Jim, where that's expected.
December 4th, 2020 at 12:53 AM ^
Maybe Jedd Fisch was the mastermind that made Rudock and Speight functional/good and kick started the early Harbaugh/Michigan seasons.
December 3rd, 2020 at 3:22 PM ^
JJ is going to be a true freshman Everyone has there own opinion ,but I just don't think joe Milton has the accuracy and touch! Evan at 6'5 245lbs he's seems scared to run! Cade is our only option at quarterback. I would would like to see Cade in our so-called bowl game .Was that the real him at Rutgers or psu? I think the psu game he had a jacked shoulder and terrible play calling. If he plays terrible maybe you bring Milton in? What do you have to lose! People who get upset about harbaugh not developing a qb. I would be fine winning a national championship like lsu with a transfer quarterback.
December 3rd, 2020 at 3:26 PM ^
HAHAHAHA we have JJ coming next year. No more transfers at QB plz
December 4th, 2020 at 12:50 AM ^
JJ is the future and would benefit from a RS year. I say go after Milton (NTM) hard.