Luke McCaffrey is the little brother of San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, but he is quickly carving his own path to the NFL after switching positions. His career has been among the most unique in college football and it may still have another year to go.
McCaffrey, a fifth-year junior, was a three/four-star quarterback prospect in the recruiting Class of 2019. 11 schools, including Michigan, Ohio State, Ole Miss, UCLA, Washington, and North Carolina offered him a scholarship. He ultimately landed at Nebraska as a quarterback.
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound signal-caller played in just four games as a freshman and was able to maintain a redshirt for the year. McCaffrey later played seven games with two starts as a sophomore in 2020 and completed 48 of 76 passes for 466 yards and one touchdown with six interceptions, and rushed for 364 yards and three touchdowns on 65 carries.
There were a lot of ugly moments. There were also moments in which he flashed his greatness. Especially as a runner.
McCaffrey ultimately saw the writing on the wall and realized that his path to the starting quarterback job in Lincoln was windy and long. As a result, he hit the transfer portal after his second year.
McCaffrey initially landed at Louisville. He later left the program after several months and enrolled at Rice— where he is today.
The starting quarterback job was also out of reach with the Owls. McCaffrey played in nine games with three starts during year three before moving to wide receiver during spring practices in 2022.
It was an immediate success. The move paid off.
McCaffrey finished as Rice’s leading pass-catcher during his first season as a receiver with 58 catches for 723 yards and six touchdowns. That was despite an injury that forced him to miss the last three games of the regular season.
2023 is McCaffrey’s fifth year of college football and second year as a wide receiver. His draft stock only continues to rise while he averages 17 yards per catch on 36 catches for 316 yards and seven touchdowns. Making ridiculous one-handed catches while his helmet falls off certainly help.
Rice dominated Tulsa on Thursday night and won by 32. McCaffrey caught six passes for 99 yards and six points. The stat line in the win was great. The film was better.
His touchdown in the first quarter will impress NFL scouts. McCaffrey created great separation with his release off of the line of scrimmage and gave J.T. Daniels a perfect window to hit him in the end zone.
— Rice Football (@RiceFootball) October 19, 2023
Luke McCaffrey has the NFL in his blood, obviously. However, the former quarterback is quickly becoming a legitimate next-level prospect with impressive play at wide receiver.
And he has another year of eligibility if he wants it!