From the moment McKenzie Milton went down with a knee injury against USF in late November, it looked serious. The UCF quarterback's leg was visibly mangled after taking a low hit as he tried to scramble for a first down, and it was gruesome enough that a number of his teammates had to look away on the field.
After he was carted off the field, the 21-year-old Milton was found to have nerve damage and a dislocated knee. It was so bad that doctors nearly considered amputating his leg. But fast forward a month and a half and several successful surgeries later, Milton still has his leg...and it appears he's on a remarkable path to recovery.
The QB posted an Instagram video this week showing him getting back to work in the gym, and apparently leg pressing 40 pounds with just his injured right leg. The leg is still being supported by a brace but seeing Milton back in the gym so quickly and working on getting strength back is pretty amazing.
Along with the video, Milton posted a caption thanking a higher power for the "miracle" recovery.
"Thanking God for the miracles I see everyday in my life. Went from almost losing my leg to leg pressing 40lbs in a little over a month. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. God is definitely at work..it's gonna be a long process but it'll be one hell of a story."
The UCF junior still has a long ways to go to make a full recovery and possibly return to the football field, but the fact that it's even a possibility right now seems like a blessing. In 10 games for UCF this season, Milton threw for 2663 yards and 25 touchdowns while scoring nine more on the ground.