Donovan McMillon: The man with a plan

Unless you’ve lived under a rock with no television or internet access for the past 15 years, you remember seeing Dos Equis’ “The Most Interesting Man in the World” during what seemed like every commercial break. That’s not even to mention the never-ending memes still circulating around social media a decade and a half later.

While the advertising campaign became a bit overdone and irritating in its final few years, there’s no denying that it was successful, as you can still remember the product that they advertised years later.

Similarly, while he might not be able to bowl overhand or parallel park a train like the guy in the commercial, Gators early enrollee safety Donovan McMillon is forging quite the brand for himself.

If there was an award for the “Most Interesting Man in College Football,” McMillon would get my vote, hands down.

McMillon is a fashion king. His dressing habits more closely resemble that of a model than a typical college freshman. He is very particular about what he wears, so much so that he sometimes changes outfits five or six times until he gets the desired look.

“I just remember when he was doing his announcement video for Florida, at one point, I stopped and I said, ‘If I have to hear “outfit change” one more time, I’m out of here,’” said TJ Plack, his head coach at Peters Township High School in McMurray, Pennsylvania. “Because I was in here doing an interview, and I was [hearing], ‘Hey, we’re going to do this outfit for here, this outfit for that.’ That’s just not something I’m accustomed to, but he dresses to the nines.”

https://twitter.com/donovanmcmillo3/status/1284662708370132995?s=20

Though McMillon is more than 2,000 miles away from the Golden Coast, to him, every sidewalk has his Hollywood Star of Fame on it.

“If he has this really nice pair of white shoes with gold trim, he’ll have a sock that matches with it and also a gold jacket that matches with the white pants that go along with it,” said Darrin McMillon, his father and co-defensive coordinator at Peters Township. “A little bit of flair. He has a little bit of Hollywood in him. He really does.

“He’s very in-tune to what the new style is, and some of his teammates are like, ‘Wow. That’s kind of outlandish, crazy.’ He’s like, ‘Trust me. That’s the new thing.’ And sure enough, it’s the new thing. He stays ahead of the fashion.”

Sometimes, he likes to shake things up and make people laugh. He owns T-shirts with Marilyn Monroe and Britney Spears on them. He wore the latter while on a recruiting visit to UF in June.

“He’s a history buff,” his dad said. “He knows about entertainment and things like that, and he knew how important Britney was to the ’90s. He kind of researches about these famous people and things that they did, and Marilyn Monroe and Britney Spears were two very, very popular singers for their times, and he kind of researches them and enjoys them.”

https://twitter.com/donovanmcmillo3/status/1272276028325584900?s=20

While his clothes are the most noticeable part of his outfits, McMillon also obsesses over shoes. He owns 60 pairs of shoes, 35 of which made the trip with him to Gainesville.

Clearly, McMillon has developed a powerful brand that transcends what he does between the white lines on Saturdays. Even if he never makes an All-American team, Gator fans and perhaps even college football fans around the country will know about him because of the things he wears.

With Florida’s law that allows student-athletes to profit off of their names, images and likenesses going into effect in July, McMillon is set up better than perhaps any of the Gators’ other 2021 signees. He should have companies lining up for endorsement deals, perhaps even a clothing store.

While other athletes figure to spend the next few years trying to build up their brands, McMillon has already profited off of his. When he was younger, some people in his area didn’t have the patience to wait in line for the new model of Jordan or LeBron sneakers to come out. So, he started a company called Sneaker Suppliers, where he would wait in line for them and sell the shoes to them at a premium price.

While the term “business decision” gets thrown out there frequently in recruiting, choosing UF truly was a business decision for him. He didn’t choose the Gators because they promised him immediate playing time or because they have a coach that he absolutely has to play for. Instead, he spent countless hours researching the academics of the schools that were recruiting him and how he would fit into their defensive schemes. He ultimately chose Florida in part because of what he believes the College of Journalism and Communications can do for him beyond football, as he wants to pursue a career in social media.

By building his brand as a high-schooler and selecting his college based on academics, he now has a leg up on his competition before ever stepping foot on the practice field.

“We always said, ‘The No. 1 thing is you want to make sure you fall in love with the school,’” his father said. “‘Whatever school you’re picking, you’re going to be a member of that for life. And then after that comes the athletics and it becomes the coaching relationship and things like that.’”

https://twitter.com/donovanmcmillo3/status/1339663564278263810?s=20

Now, McMillon looks to strengthen his brand by adding “dominant football player” to his resume. He is regarded as one of the most physical and hardest-hitting safeties in his class, so much so that there’s been some speculation that he might eventually grow into a linebacker. He’s a sure tackler, and he models his game after Kansas City Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu.

“He has beyond a chip on his shoulder,” Darrin McMillon said. “He plays nasty. He’s not trying to just make the tackle. He’s going to make the sure tackle, but on the way, he’s going to try to eviscerate you. He plays downhill all the time.”

While McMillon spends a lot of time on his fashion, don’t let that fool you into thinking he’s not a dedicated football player. He’s everything a coach could want in a player, according to Plack.

“Man, he’s enthusiastic,” he said. “He brings a vibe to the team. If someone scores a touchdown, he is leading them into the end zone. He’s the first one to pat them on the butt or high-five them or chest bump or something like that. He brings a lot of juice to the game and to our program.

“He’s got everything it takes. He’s intrinsically motivated. He’s highly competitive. He’s going to will his way into being a starter here in a few years just because of his work ethic and what he does on and off the field.”

That might not be the only thing McMillon wills himself into over the next couple of years. He is a savvy businessman. Thanks to his rare passion for fashion and his meticulous college selection process, he’s now one of the most marketable freshmen football players in the country. He’s opened up several avenues for future success. Ideally, he’ll play well at Florida, earn some endorsement money and be off to the NFL. If not, he’ll have to “settle” for earning a degree from a top-10 public university and launching a career in social media. That’s a heck of a backup option.

McMillon’s plan is coming together. And who doesn’t love it when a plan comes together?

 

Ethan Hughes
Ethan was born in Gainesville and has lived in the Starke, Florida, area his entire life. He played basketball for five years and knew he wanted to be a sportswriter when he was in middle school. He’s attended countless Gators athletic events since his early childhood, with baseball being his favorite sport to attend. He’s a proud 2019 graduate of the University of Florida and a 2017 graduate of Santa Fe College. He interned with the University Athletic Association’s communications department for 1 ½ years as a student and also wrote for InsideTheGators.com for two years before joining Gator Country in 2021. He is a long-suffering fan of the Jacksonville Jaguars. You can follow him on Twitter @ethanhughes97.