Mario Cristobal believes Cam McCormick has a long future in the NFL

Miami tight end Cam McCormick‘s long journey throughout college football has been well-documented, and his tenure at the collegiate ranks is coming to and end at the end of 2024.

Originally committing to Oregon in 2015, the 26-year-old isn’t expected to hang his cleats up at the end of the 2024 season. According to head coach Mario Cristobal, he expects McCormick to head to the NFL after the season.

“I think he’s going to play and then he’s going to play in the NFL for a good while,” Cristobal told reporters on Monday. “The thing is, yeah, Cam had to go through some injuries, but Cam is healthy. Cam is super smart, and cam has seen a lot of football, man, and he’s been in every imaginable offensive set play call. He is an absolute sponge on special teams as well. He’s incredible.

“And then his leadership … it’s from the heart, and it’s genuine, and it’s real, and it’s it’s from a place where, I mean, that guy’s he’s seen a lot, he’s been through it all, and he just wants to win, and he wants to see the guys around him be successful.”

As much as the culture and leadership that he brings to the locker room, that will only get him so far. With 30 career catches for 259 yards and seven touchdowns, McCormick’s numbers don’t exactly pop out on paper.

Still, he’s made the most of all his catches this season, hauling in four and having scored three touchdowns with those opportunities.

“Cam is a very talented guy. Cam’s 265 pounds, and Cam could run, he could catch, he can block,” Cristobal continued. “He’s great on special teams. So we always, at the tail end of their careers, we always try to grab guys like that and bring them into coaching because we are firm believers that young people need more people that are good for young people.

“We need more really good mentors, really good teachers, guys that have the heart in the right place and that can make an impact and change people for the better. And maybe one day, we could convince him to do something like that.”

For now, McCormick has the opportunity to finish off his lengthy college career with a trip to the College Football Playoff, and possibly a national championship.