Kendall Milton makes NFL plans known, declares for 2024 draft
Kendall Milton has played his last game in a Georgia uniform. The senior running back announced his declaration for the 2024 NFL Draft on social media Monday.
“Dawg Nation, first off, I want to thank God for guiding me throughout my journey and allowing me to make the choice to come to the University of Georgia. This has without a doubt been the best 4 years of my life. I have developed relationships that will last the rest of my life,” Milton wrote. “To my brothers, the connections we formed are real, and blood couldn’t bring us any closer. I love every single one of y’all. To my coaches, thank you for taking a chance on the kid from Fresno. Thank you for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to be a part of the G. To my family, thank you for supporting my dreams, and the sacrifices you’ve made for me. I wouldn’t be here today without y’all.”
“To the Georgia fans, man, you are the best fans in the world,” he continued. “Playing between the hedges has been a real honor and I thank you guys for the endless support you have given me. With that being said, I’m excited to start the next chapter of this book. I will officially be declaring for the 2024 NFL Draft. Go Dawgs!”
Milton certainly went out in style. Rushing for over 100 yards in the first half of Georgia’s 63-3 Orange Bowl win over Florida State, the Fresno, Calif. native earned MVP honors. It was his third 100-yard game in the last five for the Bulldogs including a career-high 156 yards on 18 carries.
In 13 games his senior season, Milton rushed for 790 yards and 14 touchdowns, saving his best football for his last season in the Bulldog red and black.
Milton overcame injuries throughout his career. As a freshman, he missed three games with a minor knee injury. He did manage to lead the team in its win over Tennessee, earning Freshman All-SEC honors. Then, as a sophomore, the injury bug struck again with another knee injury. This time, he missed six games. He had a combined 459 yards on 91 carries across the two yeasrs.
Milton had his healthiest season to date in 2022, finishing third on the team in rushing with 592 yards on 85 carries. Still, he missed two games because of injury. For the second time in his career, Milton finished as the team’s leading rusher in a single game for the season-opener. Milton posted his first career 100-yard game with 113 yards in the SEC Championship Game against LSU before scoring a touchdown in each of Georgia’s College Football Playoff contests.
Milton is the latest Georgia player to announce his declaration for the draft. He joins the likes of Javon Bullard, Kamari Lassiter, Amarius Mims and Tykee SMith. Still, Georgia is getting a couple of key pieces back with quarterback Carson Beck and inside linebacker Smael Mondon both planning to return in 2024.
More on Georgia and the NFL Draft…
Georgia has led the country in NFL Draft selections over the last three seasons with 34 in total. The Bulldogs also rank first over the last five with 48, boosted in large part due to the modern-era NFL Draft record 15 players that were picked in 2022 off of Georgia’s national championship-winning squad. Last year, UGA tied for the nation-high with 10 players picked.
In total, the Kirby Smart era at Georgia has seen 55 selections. You have to go all the way back to 1992 to find the last time at least one Bulldog was not taken in an NFL Draft. Georgia has had a player picked in the first round every year since 2018. That list includes Roquan Smith, Isaiah Wynn, Sony Michel, Deandre Baker, Andrew Thomas, Isaiah Wilson, Eric Stokes, Travon Walker, Jordan Davis, Quay Walker, Devonte Wyatt, Lewis Cine, Jalen Carter, Broderick Jones and Nolan Smith.
