UGA football added another elite running back in the 2020 recruiting class. Kendall Milton signed with Georgia as the No. 7 ranked back in the nation.
Did UGA football just sign the next Todd Gurley? When watching Kendall Milton’s highlight film, it’s easy to see the similarities between the Clovis, Cal. native and the Georgia Bulldog legend.
It’s only fitting that Todd Gurley would make a cameo in Milton’s commitment video. If you’re going to play like Gurley and commit to the Bulldogs, might as well include the legend and unabashed Georgia fan in the announcement.
Milton is the latest in a line of elite high school running backs signed by Georgia during the Kirby Smart era. Those five running backs have combined for 6,692 rushing yards in four seasons, and three of those backs are just getting started. So, where does Milton fit in a backfield already comprised by Zamir White, James Cook and Kenny McIntosh? Right around the top, he is that good
Milton is tall and wide like Gurley. He adds a blazing speed burst to a physical-but-nimble running style. He’s even guilty of running vertically too much like Gurley. But the aspect of Milton’s game that’ll make him an instant impact player at Georgia is his patience and vision.
He’s not a back who’ll just grab the ball and run, though it may look that way. Milton takes a second to scan the field and find the hole before taking off. He processes that in his mind very quickly. The mental speed is the difference between a high school stand out and a college star. A player can have all of the raw talent in the world, but if he processes the game sluggishly, he won’t make it at the next level. Milton adds a sharp mind to his raw talent.
The other running backs on Georgia’s roster are all that can slow Milton down in 2020. He’s not going to have the monster freshman campaign Gurley had, just because Georgia has likely the best stable of running backs in the nation. But he’s still going to be an integral part of Georgia’s offense and may find a home on the Freshman All-SEC team at the end of the year.