Now that McKenzie Milton and UCF have teamed to issue arguably the most elaborate, poignant transfer announcement in college football history, speculation is percolating over where the onetime Heisman Trophy candidate will play his final season.
Here are our some guesses of where he might — and probably won’t — land:
Nebraska
In terms of knee-jerk reactions, this makes the most sense. Current Huskers coach Scott Frost recruited Milton to UCF and oversaw the Knights’ surreal 2017 “national championship” season. Nebraska is 10-19 in two-plus seasons on Frost’s watch, and neither of his current QBs — redshirt freshman Luke McCaffrey or junior Adrian Martinez — is setting the world afire. The idea of Milton sweeping in to save his old coach’s job is too tantalizing to ignore.
Hawaii
Would Milton return to his native state to finish his career? Rainbow Warriors coach Todd Graham has overseen some high-octane systems in his day (see Tulsa, 2007-10), though if Milton wants to prove to NFL scouts he can brandish his old form, he’d be better off doing it in a Power Five program in a conventional time zone.
UCLA
The offense in which Milton excelled at UCF is a version of Chip Kelly’s uber-successful system at Oregon, where Frost worked for Kelly and later became Ducks offensive coordinator. If Milton’s not interested in heading all the way back home (to Hawaii) to finish his career, California’s at least three time zones closer. And heaven knows, Kelly needs someone to help him get things going in Westwood, where he’s 9-19 in two-plus seasons.
Miami
After years of offensive futility, the ‘Canes have rediscovered the end zone under star D’Eriq King. But King will probably be headed to the NFL, so Miami might be interested in another one-year patch. Milton might be a good match for Rhett Lashlee’s up-tempo, spread offense.
Florida State
Mike Norvell has seen first-hand what Milton can do; Milton beat Norvell’s Tigers twice in 2017 (including in the American Athletic Conferece title game) during the Knights’ perfect season. Would the Seminoles want a grad transfer as their expected quarterback of the future, Chubba Purdy, continues to mature? And would Milton want to play for a program that’s still rebuilding its offensive line?
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Explore all your optionsSyracuse
The Orange need help to fix the nation’s No. 109 passing attack, and Milton has thrived in a fast offense like the one Dino Babers runs … assuming Babers is still around next season.
Florida
Worth mentioning because Heisman Trophy favorite Kyle Trask is headed to the NFL, and Milton’s dual-threat abilities match what Dan Mullen wants. But UF already has two promising young quarterbacks on its roster (Emory Jones and Anthony Richardson). If Milton wants a place to start, Gainesville probably isn’t his best option.
USF
Forget it already. Just stop.