Milton High Running Back Jordan McDonald Commits To UCF

MILTON, GA —Milton High School senior running back Jordan McDonald certainly had a memorable few days last weekend.

On Friday night, McDonald carried the ball 11 times for 129 yards and three touchdowns, caught a touchdown and threw a touchdown pass in a 44-34 win over Roswell. Milton improved to 7-1, 3-0 in Region 5-7A.

The following day, the 6-foot-1, 220-pound McDonald verbally committed to play college football at University of Central Florida, choosing the school over South Carolina, after narrowing his choices to those two programs.

McDonald also had offers from schools like Tennessee, Louisville and Kentucky, the latter coming during McDonald's freshman year of high school. He can sign his National Letter of Intent during the Early Signing Period in December.

According to SI.com, McDonald told Volunteer Country's Matt Ray that he chose UCF because of the personal connection he felt to the coaching staff and the love he got from the Knights fans.

"What put them (UCF) over the top was my relationship with (UCF head football Coach) Gus (Malzahn), especially his wife Kristi. Even during my unofficial visits over the summer, we were able to bond over little things like shoes and clothes and stuff like that," McDonald said.

McDonald continued: "You could completely feel that family love right there. It was amazing. You could really feel the connection between me and the coaching staff. It was always great to see each other again. Then, with the fanbase, when you see them in person, fans would be like, 'Jordan come take a picture with us!' Those are the things that really put them over the top."

The Orlando Sentinel reported that McDonald has visited UCF's campus multiple times in the past several months, most recently when the Knights beat East Carolina 20-16 on Oct. 9.

McDonald, who rushed for 1,338 yards and 24 touchdowns as a junior, said he hopes to play early in his career at UCF.

"It's really special because coming out the gate, I feel like I can really make an impact my freshman year," McDonald said. "I am definitely going to put in the work over the summer to cement that position (on the depth chart)."

McDonald also heads to Orlando with the knowledge that the Knights are scheduled to join the Big 12 Conference in 2024, and perhaps earlier. They are one of three schools from the American Athletic Conference -along with Houston, Cincinnati - who will move to the Big 12 as replacements for Oklahoma and Texas, who are off to the Southeastern Conference.

Speaking to Volunteer Country, McDonald explained what the Knights will be getting when he arrives on campus.

"UCF is getting everything I got, from start to finish. My entire time there, they are getting all of it. They're getting the love, the passion for the game, the drive, the on-field things, they are getting my whole heart," McDonald said.

According to the Alpharetta-Roswell Herald, McDonald will become the next in a line of Milton running backs to play college football. The list is highlighted by 2013 graduate Peyton Barber, who played at Auburn and is a now member of the NFL's Washington Football Team.

Also on the list are: 2014 grad Treyvon Paulk (Tennessee), 2015 grad Chris Turner (Georgia Tech) and 2019 grad Josh Edwards (Arkansas State).