Milton named semifinalist for Comeback Player award
Florida State quarterback McKenzie Milton and Stetson offensive lineman Avery Samuels are among nine semifinalists for the Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Award.
Milton, who previously played at UCF, returned to action for the first time in three years after a devastating knee injury in the regular-season finale against USF in 2018. The injury required emergency surgery as doctors needed to repair damaged nerves and restore blood flow to his lower right leg. The injury nearly forced doctors to amputate his leg.
After multiple surgeries and several years of rehabilitation, he received clearance from his doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota to return to practice in August 2020. Milton took over as quarterback for UCF’s scout team before announcing his transfer to Florida State.
Milton took the field against Notre Dame in the Florida State opener on Sept. 5. He would appear in six games for the Seminoles, including 4 starts, finishing with 775 yards passing with 3 touchdowns and 6 interceptions.
Samuels sat out last season after losing seven members of his family to COVID-19. He returned to the Hatters in 2021, appearing in 8 games. He took part in 341 offensive snaps and graded out at 95.5% for the season.
The pair joins Taijh Alston (West Virginia), Terrel Bernard (Baylor), Jack Coan (Notre Dame), Ryan
Hubley (John Hopkins), Aidan Hutchinson (Michigan), Cameron Rising (Utah) and J.J. Weaver (Kentucky) as semifinalists. The honor goes to a player who has overcome injury, illness or adversity to return to action in 2021.
A panel of writers and editors from Associated Press and Touchdown Illustrated, along with sports information directors from CoSIDA, the College Sports Information Directors of America, chose the semifinalists from 30 candidates.
The panel will announce three winners and six honorable mentions on Dec. 21. A donation of $30,000 will be made in the honorees’ names to their school’s general scholarship fund, with $15,000 awarded in the names of the three winners and $15,000 on behalf of the six honorable mention winners.
The three winners also will be recognized at a ceremony during the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1.