UCF Football: Why Knights should pursue transfer QB Joe Milton
UCF football has a new head coach in Gus Malzahn and he could bring an intriguing new quarterback along too in transfer Joe Milton.
One thing that the UCF football program probably doesn’t need right away is a quarterback, however, that doesn’t mean that the Knights should shy away from Joe Milton, the former Michigan football quarterback who entered the transfer portal on Thursday.
Milton makes sense for UCF football for a couple of reasons. While he may be a graduate transfer, he actually will have three seasons of eligibility left and he is a 6-foot-5, 240-pound kid once rated as a four-star recruit out of Florida.
During his recruitment, he chose Michigan over Florida and Georgia, so those schools could enter the mix. Miami is another since they will be needing a new starter after next season.
More from Saturday Blitz
- Michigan State vs. Maryland: Location, time, prediction, and more
- ACC Power Rankings: Can #4 FSU overthrow Clemson at Death Valley East?
- Most heartwarming social media reactions to Nick Chubb’s injury
- Ranking college football’s top 10 quarterbacks after Week 3
- Things are going to get much darker for the Houston Cougars
That’s why I think Milton makes a lot of sense for UCF. He got really hyped up leading up to this past season for Michigan and even got compared to Cam Newton.
Well, Malzahn was the guy who helped Newton thrive and win a national title, as well as the Heisman Trophy at Auburn before coming the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft.
Now, do I think Milton can be Newton? No. Very few can. But he does have tremendous arm talent and in the right system, with the right coach, he could really succeed.
Dillon Gabriel is poised to come back as the starter for UCF football after a season in which he tossed 32 touchdown passes and four interceptions. It’s hard to see Milton unseating him, but the competition would be good and if Gabriel left after 2021, Milton would still be there.
Gabriel also wasn’t brought in by the current staff, so you never know quite how that relationship will work. Milton’s pursuit will be interesting and it’s possible he will want to go somewhere that has a clearer path to the starting job.
Latest NFL mock draft following Super Bowl. dark. Next
Yet, if I was Malzahn and the Knights, I would certainly kick the tires and if he’s willing to buy in to competing or starting off as a backup, he could be a steal down the road for UCF football.