UCF QB McKenzie Milton to Undergo 5th Knee Surgery, Not Yet Ruled Out for 2019

UCF junior quarterback McKenzie Milton, who has undergone four surgeries after suffering nerve damage and a dislocation in his right knee in November, could potentially play in 2019.

Knights quarterbacks coach Jeff Lebby offered encouraging comments on Saturday in a pre-Fiesta Bowl media session, per Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com: "Yeah, I think so. We'll kind of wait and see. I think it's day-to-day with him. That's just the reality of it, and working through it all with him and our medical staff and seeing where it goes."

Milton suffered the injury when he took a helmet to the knee in a 38-10 win over USF on November 23. For the season, he threw 25 touchdowns to just six interceptions and helped guide his team to another undefeated regular-season campaign. He also rushed for 307 yards and nine scores.

The Knights are now 25-0 since the beginning of 2017.

Freshman quarterback Darriel Mack Jr. has taken over for Milton and will start in the Fiesta Bowl against No. 11 LSU on Tuesday. He was excellent in the American Athletic Conference title game against Memphis thanks to 348 passing yards, 59 rushing yards and six total touchdowns (two passing, four rushing). UCF won 56-41.

A 6'3", 230-pound signal-caller, Mack's size and versatility may prove problematic for the LSU defense. He also ran for 120 yards and a score against East Carolina earlier this year. Still, the Tigers are 7.5-point favorites, per OddsShark.

While Milton won't be under center for that game, hopefully he returns at some point in the 2019 season. Weinfuss noted that he's set for another surgery in late January, which would mark his fifth in just two months.

He's clearly endured much adversity of late, but Milton can take solace in the fact that numerous quarterbacks have overcome serious knee injuries to re-take the field. Of note, New Orleans Saints quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is getting the start Sunday after missing all of 2016 and most of 2017 with a torn ACL, knee dislocation and structural damage suffered in a preseason practice.

Milton's injury is different, of course, but there's precedent for a return here.

UCF opens its 2019 season on August 31.