The Big 15: No. 6 Dunbar's Seneca Milledge is ready to do what's necessary to win in final season
Adam Regan
Seneca Milledge hasn’t flown under the radar among talent evaluators since before he was in the eighth grade. The high-end speed Dunbar High School senior possessed only improved and the experience he gained early in his varsity career continues to pay dividends as he takes his place as a team leader.
There is no question that Dunbar is his team this season. Milledge, a three-star athlete who is committed to the University of Virginia, served as the Tigers' utility player in 2017, making plays from a number of different positions on offense and defense.
He makes his second appearance on The News-Press/Naples Daily News Big 15 list of top college recruits in Southwest Florida this year, jumping from No. 11 to No. 6.
More:The Big 15: Seneca Milledge No. 11
More:High school football recruiting: Dunbar's Seneca Milledge, Major Williams commit to Virginia
“He’s the face of this franchise,” Dunbar coach Sammy Brown said of Milledge. “He came up and started all four years. He gave us what we wanted out of him. He’s a small guy in stature but he packs a large punch.
“He can play offense. He can play defense. He can handle the ball. He can throw the ball. He’s a threat every time there’s a ball on the field. That guy there, you’re going to have to know where he lines up and what he can do to hurt you. He’s going to be very special for us.”
At 5-foot-6, 155 pounds, Milledge faces constant questions about his size and if his body can handle the physicality of Power 5 college football.
“I feel like some of them view me as a little guy who can’t do this, can’t do that, but some also visualize me as we have this small guy but he has a huge heart,” Milledge said.
Rather than tell recruiters as much he prefers to show them what he’s made of not just on the football field but on the track.
Milledge’s best 40-yard dash time of 4.37 seconds speaks for itself, making him one of the fastest athletes Lee County has ever produced.
In 2017, Milledge brought home a silver medal in the Class 2A state long jump where he hit 7.1 meters. In the state 100 meters, he ran 10.86 to finish third. He was also a part of the 400-relay team that took eighth.
After winning a district title and taking regional runner-up honors in the long jump this year, Milledge took the 2A state title with a jump of 7.19 meters. He was a county champion in the long jump and triple jump and a district champ in the 100 meters. He was also a part of the 4x100 relay team that finished second in the state.
When asked if there was position on the football field he couldn’t play, Milledge’s responded with, “You never know I might be a snapper.”
Viewed as a threat to score any time he has the ball in his hands, he spent time at running back and receiver before filling in at quarterback when Dunbar’s starter missed time with an injury during a season where the Tigers reached a regional semifinal for the second straight season.
Milledge finished with 843 rushing yards on 92 carries and 13 touchdowns to go with 253 passing yards and two scores. On defense, he contributed 58 tackles and defended five passes.
Originally verbally committing to North Carolina State in January 2017, the News-Press first-team All-Area selection changed course a year later by committing to Virginia alongside cousin and teammate Major Williams in February. He chose the school over offers from Maryland, Kentucky, North Carolina, USF and West Virginia among others.
Milledge bought into the school’s reputation as one of the top academic public schools in the country.
“Without academics, you can’t do anything,” he said.
Offered as a running back by UVA, he still thinks he has a lot to prove to the Cavaliers coaching staff and any other coaches who come across his film.
“I want to show that I can lead a team,” Milledge said. “I’m going to do whatever it takes for us to win. Winning on the field is just as important to me as winning in the classroom.”
The Big 15
The News-Press and Naples Daily News count down the top college football recruits in Southwest Florida every Tuesday and Friday leading up to the start of high school football season. The Big 15 players from Lee and Collier counties are selected based on players with hard scholarship offers and national recruiting rankings.
The full Big 15 list
No. 15: Marcus Finger, Fort Myers
No: 14: Kamonte Grimes, Palmetto Ridge
No. 13: Rashawn Hunter, Mariner
No. 12: Terry Lindsey, Bishop Verot
No. 10: Brandon Benjamin, Dunbar