UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton suffered a gruesome leg injury against South Florida, leaving backup Darriel Mack Jr. to take over the Knights offense. The details of the injury have not been announced, but Milton has been ruled out for the remainder of the game against USF.
Mack is a redshirt freshman who has started one game this season for UCF and has also played in some of the UCF games that were blowouts. Mack was 12-of-20 for 69 passing yards and added 120 rushing yards along with a touchdown in his start against East Carolina.
Mack attended Norview High in Norfolk, Virginia. Here’s how ESPN described Mack coming out of high school.
Big and strong — has a sturdy build and range as an athlete. Good height — built like a safety/OLB. Speed is more than adequate for the QB position, may not be ideal for a position change. He is a better runner than passer with quick feet, strength and agility as a runner and dual-threat…Mack is a good athlete and great looking player on the hoof. He is also a developmental player at QB that would be at his best in the spread or possibly moving to another position. Will likely be mostly coveted by in-state schools with some group of five programs from other regions involved as well.
UCF athletics describes some of Mack’s high school accomplishments.
Named All-Tidewater Player of the Year. Passed for 2,975 yards; Rushed for 1,127; Accounted for 52 total touchdowns. Total of 4,132 combined yards ranks 10th on Virginia High School League single season chart
Darriel Mack Jr. Also Received Offers From West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Pitt, Virginia & Maryland
Rivals rated Mack as a three-star recruit and noted he had 12 offers. Mack chose UCF over a number of schools including Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Maryland and Pitt.
Similar to Milton, Mack is a dual-threat quarterback but is a bigger player at 6’3″ and 230 pounds. UCF head coach Josh Heupel has been complimentary of Mack, including after his debut against Connecticut.
“For him to go out and really perform pretty well, throw the ball a couple times, get his eyes in the right spot, be accurate with the football and then make the big play with his feet, I think it’s a positive for him,” Heupel told the Orlando Sentinel. “Hopefully, it encourages him to press on even more.”
Mack ran for an 80-yard touchdown in the game as you can see towards the end of the highlights below.
“Once I got to about the 30, I kind of locked eyes and I could just see their [Mack’s parents] excitement,” Mack told the Orlando Sentinel. “I couldn’t get to them fast enough. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance. My parents are my biggest supporters. They always are proud of me no matter where I am, no matter what I do. … To be able to make that play right in front of them, it was very big for me.”
UCF moved into the top 10 of the College Football Playoff rankings after their decisive victory over Cincinnati. Knights fans can expect more reliance on the run game as well as run-pass options where Mack can use his legs to hurt defenses.