GREELEY — This is how you do college.
Play a sport. Golf, track, football. Play football. Play Big Ten football — home games at Michigan’s Big House, road games at Wisconsin, Maryland. Graduate with a Big Ten degree. Then — nope, we’re not done here — transfer home.
Play for Dad and your big brother.
Pursue a master’s degree.
This is how Dylan McCaffrey is doing college.
Here in good ol' Greeley at Nottingham Field, Ed McCaffrey’s the coach, Max is the offensive coordinator, Dylan is the quarterback.
“It can go really bad or really great,” Dylan said of banking on fam. “My money’s on really great. If there’s a crew to go down with, it’s this one.”
Oh, the UNC Bears are going down Friday night at CU. Big time. The Buffs are 35-point favorites in the season opener at Folsom Field, and that seems low. I see something like 53-17, maybe 47-10, but if the Bears cover the spread, consider it a win in Ed’s college coaching debut.
Whatever.
Unless UNC manages to throw a scare into CU, does a bloated final score really matter? UNC wants to win, of course, but I got a distinct feeling talking to the McCaffreys. It was a feeling of genuine happiness, a feeling of relief after a tough 18 months for the whole world.
On having an actual game week, Ed McCaffrey said: “I think it’s really important for them to have structure and organization and a routine throughout the week rather than this never-ending stream of practices and shutdowns and start-ups. It’s been really good for our players.”
“Ball is ball,” as Dylan McCaffrey told me the other day on the UNC practice field, and couldn’t we all go for a little ball right about now? CU gets to ball again. UNC gets to ball again, the first game for Ed McCaffrey — 631 days after he was hired. It's the first game for Dylan as UNC's quarterback — 671 days after he last played, for Michigan at Maryland. That’s a long freakin’ time between ballgames. It’s more than enough time to realize how much you love and missed ball.
“I’ve always cared a lot about football. But to be honest with you this past year has kind of amplified that,” said Dylan McCaffrey, who spent four years at Michigan before transferring to UNC. “It was weird not being part of a team for a while and not playing for a while. I have a new appreciation for it. I don’t dread the little details of any day where I get to play ball.”
The family reunion wasn’t planned, said Ed McCaffrey, the former Broncos great. Ed got the UNC job on Dec. 12, 2019. Max, a former NFL wide receiver, was playing in the XFL when he asked dad if there was an open spot on the UNC coaching staff. Dylan transferred from Michigan to UNC a year later.
“Who would’ve thunk it? Not me,” Ed said.
Ed’s evaluation of Dylan, a four-star prospect coming out of high school who’s now 22 years old: “He’s really good. Really good. He’s got some of the fine details down at that position. He’s matured. He’s 6-5, 220. He’s filled in a little bit. He’s playing at a high level right now.”
Prior to Karl Dorrell, CU’s largely done a terrible job recruiting the state of Colorado. But the Buffs did represent the first scholarship offer to Valor Christian star Dylan McCaffrey, he said.
“CU was always good to me. No complaints there,” he said.
“I got a lot of respect for that school, a lot of respect for that program,” Dylan said. “They do things well there. It’s just, in my personal situation, it wasn’t the exact right fit.”
The McCaffrey reunion may be older news, but it’s no less interesting or unique. How long will the McCaffrey trio work as a trio? Dylan has two years of college eligibility remaining.
“I’m here for however long I can play football,” he said.
The QB has the scouting on his coordinator, Max, with whom he used to argue over video games as a kid: “I remember all the NCAA football games. There would be some fights with those.”
“He was a really smart football player. He’s been around so many different great programs, so many different players,” Dylan said of Max. “It’s awesome to see all of that melt into one mind. He’s been like a sponge up until now.”
The QB has the scouting on the coach, Dad: “He’s a real players coach. He played the game for a long time. A lot of our staff played the game for a long time. I’ve never heard or seen a coach who cares about the players' health and safety as much as he does. If someone’s feeling something, he’ll make sure they’re ready to go."
Under Dorrell, CU will be ready. Same for the UNC McCaffreys. This is how you do college.
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Paul Klee: 'He's really good': Ed McCaffrey and son QB Dylan McCaffrey ready for UNC's opener at CU Buffs - Colorado Springs Gazette
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