Former Michigan Wolverines quarterback Dylan McCaffrey announced his new football home on Sunday with the news that he has committed to play for Northern Colorado. This sends the former four-star recruit to FCS level to play for his father Ed McCaffrey, who was hired to run the program in December 2019.
McCaffrey was a four-star prospectus, the fifth-placed pro-style quarterback and the country’s No. 123 player in the class of 2017.
McCaffrey and Joe Milton competed for the starting quarterback job all the off-season on the way to 2020. Things changed in the fall when Milton surpassed him and Cade McNamara started to rise as well. He would opt out in the weeks leading up to the season after the Big Ten announced it would be returning. Since McNamara and Milton are still on the roster and five-star JJ McCarthy is now on campus, it made sense to look for other opportunities.
McCaffrey first ran into action Our lady in 2018. It performed well given the circumstances and looked like a solid backup Shea Patterson. He sustained a seasonal collarbone injury during the Penn State game, but had shown enough in limited action to suggest he could be the future with the quarterback. He finished that year by completing 8 of 15 pass attempts for 126 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran 10 times for 99 meters and a few scores on the ground.
Patterson struggled with another bout to start the 2019 season and was benched during the third game of the season against Wisconsin. This gave McCaffrey his long-awaited chance, but a concussion during that game brought that all to a halt and saw him miss a good chunk of the rest of the season. He finished the year 10th of 20 for 116 yards and one score. He also ran 13 times for 67 yards and one touchdown.