Honors & Awards
» Academic All-Big Ten (2020)
» Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Fall 2019, 2020; Spring 2019, 2020)
2020 (Redshirt Freshman)
Luke McCaffrey was a versatile offensive weapon for Nebraska in 2020. He played in seven of eight games, including two starts at quarterback. McCaffrey completed 48-of-76 passes for 466 yards and one touchdown while rushing 65 times for 364 yards and three touchdowns. He was Nebraska's third-leading rusher and entering bowl season, McCaffrey ranked 16th nationally among all FBS quarterbacks in rushing yards per game (52.0) and 20th nationally among all freshmen in rushing yards per game.
McCaffrey had an impressive season debut at Ohio State. He went 4-of-5 passing for 55 yards, rushed for 80 yards on only nine carries and also had a five-yard reception against the fifth-ranked Buckeyes. He had a career-long 47-yard run on Nebraska's opening touchdown drive. At Northwestern, McCaffrey completed 12-of-16 passes for 93 yards, and he rushed for 49 yards on eight carries.
McCaffrey made his first career start against Penn State, leading the Huskers to a victory. In becoming the first Husker quarterback to win his first career start since 2013, McCaffrey completed 13-of-21 passes for 152 yards, including a 45-yard touchdown pass. He also led Nebraska with 67 rushing yards with a one-yard score. McCaffrey posted his first career 200-yard total offense game with 219 yards of offense and two total touchdowns against the Nittany Lions. Against Illinois, McCaffrey accounted for a career-high 256 yards of total offense. He completed 13-of-26 passes for 134 yards while rushing 26 times for 122 yards and two touchdowns, all of which were career highs. McCaffrey's 26 carries were the third-most ever by a Husker quarterback and with his first career 100-yard rushing game, McCaffrey became the 100th player in Nebraska history to rush for 100 yards in a game.
McCaffrey came off the bench at Iowa, leading the Huskers to field goals on his two full-time drives under center. McCaffrey had five carries for 42 yards at Iowa and was 3-of-5 passing for 21 yards. He completed 3-of-5 passes for 21 yards and had four carries for four yards in the win at Purdue. McCaffrey did not have a carry and attempted only two passes against Minnesota before he missed the season finale at Rutgers due to an injury.
2019 (Redshirt)
McCaffrey redshirted in his first season after appearing in four games. He completed 9-of-12 passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 166 yards on 24 carries. McCaffrey also lined up at receiver for the final two games, catching one pass for 12 yards.
After taking one snap in an emergency role against Northwestern, McCaffrey saw his first extensive action against Indiana, leading the Huskers to a score on three of his five series. McCaffrey completed 5-of-6 passes for 71 yards - including a 24-yard touchdown - while rushing 12 times for 76 yards. McCaffrey played both wide receiver and quarterback in Nebraska’s 54-7 win at Maryland, completing 3-of-5 passes for 32 yards and rushing 10 times for 83 yards with one reception for 12 yards. McCaffrey scored on a 3-yard run in the fourth quarter for his first career touchdown. In the season finale against Iowa, McCaffrey completed a 39-yard touchdown pass.
Before Nebraska (Valor Christian HS)
McCaffrey led his team to a Colorado state championship in 2018. McCaffrey was an offensive standout at Valor Christian (Colo.) High School from 2016 to 2018 and produced big numbers through the air and on the ground as a senior.
McCaffrey was coached by his father, Ed, and guided Valor Christian to a perfect 14-0 record and a Class 5A state championship in 2018. McCaffrey threw for 2,202 yards as a senior, with 21 touchdowns and only four interceptions. On the ground he ran for 526 yards and eight touchdowns and averaged nearly 6.5 yards per carry. In the state title victory over Cherry Creek, McCaffrey passed for 169 yards, while picking up 72 yards on the ground.
As a junior, McCaffrey was a versatile offensive performer, while splitting time at quarterback with Colorado signee Blake Stenstrom. McCaffrey helped Valor Christian to an 11-1 record by rushing for 548 yards and passing for 878 yards with a 78 percent completion rate. He also had 147 receiving yards. McCaffrey was a first-team All-Colorado choice as a quarterback by the coaches association, and was a first-team all-state pick by the Denver Post as an athlete.
McCaffrey saw limited time as a quarterback as a sophomore in 2016, but provided Valor Christian with an explosive running and receiving option. He ran 23 times for 245 yards and two touchdowns, while catching 47 passes for 717 yards and nine touchdowns. As a defensive back, he made 42 tackles and had two interceptions, helping the team to an 11-3 record and a state title.
McCaffrey was ranked as the nation’s No. 142 overall prospect by ESPN.com, which listed him as the top prospect in Colorado and the No. 5 dual-threat quarterback in the country. He was also the top player in Colorado, the No. 11 athlete prospect in the nation and among the top 300 players in the nation in the 247Sports Composite rankings.
McCaffrey had offers from numerous schools including Colorado, Michigan, Ohio State, Washington and UCLA to name a few.
Personal
Luke was born on April 2, 2001, and is the son of Ed and Lisa McCaffrey. He is a marketing major. Luke’s father, Ed, played 13 seasons in the NFL and was part of three Super Bowl champion teams. Ed was named the head coach at Northern Colorado in December of 2019. Luke's oldest brothers Max (Duke) and Christian (Stanford) both played collegiately and in the NFL. Christian was the 2015 Associated Press Player of the Year at Stanford and was a first-team NFL All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection with the Carolina Panthers in 2019. Luke's third older brother, Dylan, is a senior quarterback at Michigan. Luke’s mother, Lisa, was a three-year starter in soccer at Stanford, and his grandfather, Dave Sime, was the silver medalist in the 100-yard dash at the 1960 Olympics. Luke has volunteered his time with the Nebraska Football Road Race, a Day of Service and local hospital visits.