5-Star Advice: Dylan McCaffrey
From the book "5-star QB", Q&A with the former Michigan QB who finished out his college career playing for his Dad & brother back in his home state
There have been 140 quarterbacks in the history of recruiting who were dubbed ‘5-Star QBs.’ While only 1 of those won a Super Bowl and only 20 were drafted in the first round all of those signal callers can offer brilliant insight and advice. Some may be deemed busts by fans, some are transitioning out of football and some are currently playing on Saturdays and Sundays but all have a story and over 50 of them have shared with us some of their most intimate insights into their path from high school to retirement, and everything in between.
In addition, another 50 ambassadors of the game have offered their advice to anyone going through the process of recruiting and quarterback play and their expertise is second to none.
Each week we will take you inside the minds of those who play quarterback, coached quarterbacks or covered quarterbacks at the highest level and our goal is that the stories shared will impact how you view the game. After all, the goal of Y-Option is to bring thoughtful conversation to the world of college football, through the lens of the West Coast.
This week’s contributor of “5-Star Advice” is former Michigan and Northern Colorado quarterback Dylan McCaffrey. From a uber-athletic family who’s parents were both athletes at Stanford and 3 brothers that played in the NFL like their dad, McCaffrey was the #5 rated Pro-Style QB in the Class of 2017. Dylan spent 4 years in a Michigan uniform, playing in 13 games before deciding to transfer back to his home state at attend Northern Colorado. In 2 seasons for the Bears, McCaffrey started in all 21 games he played with 17 passing TD and 3,237 pass yards with his dad, Ed, as the head coach and his brother, Max, as the offensive coordinator.
From the book “5-Star QB: It’s Not About the Stars, It’s About the Journey”….
When did you get your first scholarship offer?
My first scholarship offer came after a high school 7-on-7 camp at the University of Colorado. This was the spring of my Freshman year. After the camp they told me that the coach wanted to talk to me, and I was invited up into the office overlooking Folsom Field. Walking into a head coach’s office littered with trophies and memorabilia was a slightly terrifying thing for a kid that young. Thankfully, I had some guidance on how to approach a situation like this, but even with all the help I had no idea what to expect. After the conversation, I left the office a little surprised because although I had seen a good bit of minutes that past season, I hadn’t started a single game. I tried to keep it cool on the long walk back to the car, but as soon as I got there, and took the art erasers out of my shoes (not a metaphor or anything, erasers in the shoes help to add a little bit of height), I was greeted with a plethora of emotions. Most of which were shrouded in joy, but looking back there were certainly some feelings of anxiety due to the fact that I hadn’t even started a varsity game yet. I admit I was too young to really take in everything that moment meant, but it was a large weight off the shoulders, just knowing I’d have an opportunity to play football past high school.
What schools offered you prior to being ranked 5-Star?
I’m not really positive exactly when I was ranked a 5-Star, but I remember before I started to get recruited really heavily, I had offers from the Colorado schools (CU and CSU), Northwestern, Duke, and Michigan.