Miami Hurricanes tight end Cam McCormick (84) makes a catch for a touchdown as Duke Blue Devils linebacker Tre Freeman (12) looks on during the first half of an ACC football game at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (D.A. Varela/Miami Herald/TNS)
Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald
MIAMI -- Cam McCormick is coming to terms that his college football career -- one that has spanned nine seasons, two schools and numerous roadblocks and setbacks -- is slowly nearing the end.
The 26-year-old tight end hasn't taken the time to truly let that sink in yet. After all, the Miami Hurricanes still have games to play and goals to accomplish.
But the sense of finality isn't lost on him after all this time.
"I'm just enjoying every moment I can with the guys on the team," McCormick said. "That's, I guess, what I've taken away from [the journey] is you never know when your last snap's going to be or you never know when you're going to see someone again for the last time. I keep telling these guys just enjoy the next couple of weeks we have with each other, because it could drastically change after that. You never know. Guys are coming in. Guys are leaving. Just enjoy the moments we have with each other while we can."
Those moments McCormick and the Hurricanes could be monumental ones. If Miami (9-1, 5-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) closes out its regular season with wins over Wake Forest (4-6, 2-4 ACC) at home on Saturday and Syracuse (7-3, 4-3 ACC) on Nov. 30, it will play in the ACC Championship Game on Dec. 7. A win in the conference title game secures the Hurricanes a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff.
It would be a rewarding and gratifying end to McCormick's challenging college football career and a driving force that has kept him going.
"Having this opportunity in front of me, it's everything," McCormick said. "I've obviously been through a lot. I'm grateful to be sitting on the other side, and I wouldn't have changed my journey. If I could do it again, I would do it again because it taught me so much about life, football, relationships, everything. I'm super grateful for it.
'He's been through a lot'
To understand McCormick's drive, first understand that long, winding journey that led him to this point.
McCormick, a three-star prospect in the Class of 2016, spent his first seven seasons at Oregon, five of which included now-Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal on the staff (first as the co-offensive coordinator in 2017 and then as head coach from 2018-2021). However, he only played two full seasons (2017 and 2022) and 40 total games there due to a litany of injuries.
A torn ACL in practice before Week 2 of the 2016 season, leading to him redshirting his true freshman season.
A torn ligament in his ankle and a broken fibula in the 2018 season opener. A setback during his rehab cost him the 2019 season as well.
A foot injury during fall camp ahead of the 2020 season, that cost him that season as well.
A torn Achilles tendon in his right foot after catching a pass against Ohio State in the second game of the 2021 season.
"He's been through a lot," Cristobal said. "A completely unselfish, hard-working, real-deal human being who shows up every day and brings it."
McCormick then transferred to Miami ahead of the 2023 season. In his first season with the Hurricanes, he played in all 13 games, starting 11, and caught eight passes for 62 yards while being used heavily as a run blocker.
This year, McCormick has caught just four passes for 28 yards, but three of those four catches have gone for touchdowns.
That included being on the receiving end of Miami's first touchdown of the season, a 9-yard catch from quarterback Cam Ward in Miami's 41-17 road win over the Florida Gators on Aug. 31.
"I don't think anybody expected that," Cristobal said a couple days after that game. "That was the winning ticket in Las Vegas for somebody."
'Be a better human being'
Throughout his college football career, McCormick has seen it all. On the field, he's played in different schemes, learned different route concepts, adapted to whatever role he has needed to play to make an impact.
But to McCormick, perhaps his greatest growth has come with how he handles himself off the field.
"I've just learned to be a better human being to my teammates around me," McCormick said. "I think at a certain point, it was a lot about myself. Me, me, me. Now it's like, 'How can I help the other people around me? How can I get them better? How can I prepare them? How can I push them to be the best players that they can be?'"
That's evidenced by the respect he commands in the Hurricanes' tight end room. While his impact isn't normally seen on the stat sheet each week, the standard he sets in practice along with redshirt junior Elijah Arroyo plays a vital role in how the group has played this season.
"Our room does a really good job of coming out here every day and going to work," McCormick said. "And that's the standard that myself and Elijah Arroyo have set. We try to go out there every day and with a good, positive mindset, and we push each other. I think that's the most competitive room on the team, in my opinion, because we're constantly pushing each other. We're helping each other get better. And really, what you see in practice is the same you see in the game -- guys that are giving 100 percent effort, playing hard, playing fast, playing physical and playing for the love of each other. We go out there. It's about it's about sacrificing for your teammate next to you, and when your opportunity is called, you got to go make the most of it, and I felt like we do a really good job of doing that."
That impact is not lost on Cristobal, who said McCormick has the intangibles and work ethic to "play in the NFL for a good, long while" despite his limited stats over an elongated career.
"The thing is, yeah, Cam had to go through some injuries," Cristobal said, "but Cam is healthy. Cam is super smart and Cam has seen a lot of football. ... He's incredible. And then his leadership -- you watch him and Elijah Arroyo when our defense is huddling up on the field during a timeout. The way they come over and bring energy and truly, genuine, 'Let's go. Let's go get this thing done.' ... It's from the heart and it's genuine and it's real."
Expect that push, that drive, to continue as McCormick closes out his final college football season.
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