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Baylor Football Recruiting

Prayerful consideration led explosive athlete Mark Milton to Baylor

May 1, 2017
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Mark Milton's (Clear Brook HS) decision to commit to Baylor was prayerfully made. And, for many Baylor fans, a Sunday morning Bear Signal text during church might have seemed like an answered prayer.

“I prayed on it for a while, talked to my family about it,” said Milton on Sunday morning when asked what spurred his commitment. “Every time I went up to Baylor, it just got harder and harder to say I’m not ready to commit yet. Then, (Saturday), it hit me on my way to work. I knew Baylor was the place for me. So, after work, I called coach at 11 PM and committed.”



Like other players who have signed with or verbally pledged to Baylor in the months since Coach Matt Rhule was hired, Milton says that Baylor has felt like home since his very first trip to campus.

Even more importantly, the coaching staff has been able to convey a clear vision for the program and Milton as a player.

“When I came to Baylor, the staff just made me feel at home,” Milton explained. “I see where they are trying to take the team and make it into something great, and I want to be a part of that.”

Milton, who was the first defensive commitment of the 2018 class, has also been captivated by Coach Fran Brown, saying that Brown’s “knowledge of the game” and his “class and character and how he carries himself” amaze him.

When Milton saw Baylor’s defensive backs in action at the Green and Gold game on April 22, the level of coaching on Brown’s part stood out in stark contrast to what he has seen on other campus visits.

“One spring game I went to, the defensive backs’ footwork looked like they didn’t get taught much on that part of the game. At defensive back, that’s important. Then, at Baylor, you could tell that they were getting coached up on all the little things.”

The genes of a natural athlete have always been there for Milton, whose father was a track star and his mother played collegiate basketball. Personally, Milton has played on both sides of the ball on the football field growing up.

When his high school coaches needed him to step in at receiver and make plays to help his team, Milton did so without hesitation.

“At the end of the day, I’m a leader on the team. Wherever they need me to play to win, I’m going to do it without questions asked,” Milton said. “But defense is really where home is for me.”

With speed and size being such a point of emphasis for this coaching staff, it is clear that Milton, at 6-foot-1, will fit in exceptionally well.

As a sophomore, Milton recorded a 21.35-second 200-meter time and was on track to go sub-21 in his junior season before a hamstring pull derailed things. At the end of March, that 200-time places Milton among the top ten football players who also run track nationally, along with fellow Baylor targets Jackson Gleeson, Anthony Schwartz, Craig Williams, Shaun Shivers, and Baylor commit Tyquan Thornton.

Unlike Thornton, though, Milton says he has no intentions of continuing his track career in college.

“I hate track with a passion,” he laughingly told SicEm365. “I just did it for the fun of it. I’d rather play football, and I’ll just bring the speed from the track to the field, which is a blessing to be able to do!"


 
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