TE Cam McCormick breaks down decision to return to UM for 9th year: "I know the trajectory this team is going, wanted to be a part"

When Miami TE Cam McCormick was a high school senior at Summit High in Bend, Ore., he was rated a 3-star in a 2016 class that included former Hurricanes like Travis Homer and Shaq Quarterman. Worth noting? Homer just wrapped up his fifth year in the NFL, and Quarterman his fourth.

McCormick? He’ll still be in college next season.

Yes, McCormick will be back for an unprecedented ninth year of eligibility based on a lengthy injury history (more on that later). He previously was tied for the record at eight years with Northern Illinois’ Kyle Pugh. McCormick says he was already approved for the ninth year before he transferred from Oregon and opted to take it rather than see if he could latch on with an NFL team.

“It was a tough decision, figuring out if I wanted to try out for the NFL, move on, I was weighing out my options,” McCormick told CaneSport in an interview that coincided with an NIL campaign launch designed to improve his brand awareness as a ninth year player in college football. “The main reason I really wanted to come back was coach (Mario) Cristobal – since being at Oregon and with all the injuries I had, coach Cristobal was always by my side, was loyal. I felt like it was almost my duty to play another year with coach Cristobal with how he treated me and how this past season went. I felt like through all I had been through it was only right, that I wanted to play for coach Cristobal one more time.

“And the team itself, Miami, I know the trajectory this team is going and I wanted to be a part of that. Coach Cristobal is building something special at Miami and we just have to be patient. It takes time. But it’s there, we’re slow-cooking it. He’s going to change this program. So I wanted to be a part of that.”

Coach Mario Cristobal said of McCormick’s decision to return that “Cam is an amazing young man of service, a great athlete, hard worker, and a natural-born leader. His return is a testament to his character and the values he brings to our team. We are excited to have him back for the upcoming season.”

So just how long ago was it that McCormick started his college career, initially at Oregon? Well, Al Golden had just been fired at Miami, with Mark Richt taking over. Cristobal wasn’t even coaching at Oregon yet, the U.S. was warning about Zika, and Donald Trump was just starting his presidential term.

Yeah, it was a while ago.

So McCormick has also been in the classroom for a while. In that time he’s not only gotten his undergraduate degree, but also completed a Master’s degree in advertising and brand responsibility. That was while at Oregon. At Miami last year and this spring he’s circling back and taking more undergraduate classes that interest him to further his knowledge base.

“I’m taking classes to learn a lot in business, just try to get a finer grasp on some things,” McCormick said.

Go ahead and say it: McCormick pretty much now has a doctorate degree in football at the college level. And it’s because of a litany of injuries. For four straight years he had numerous season-ending leg injuries and an Achilles’ tear – between 2018 and 2021.

“After 2016 (redshirt year), 2017 I played, 2018 I broke my leg and my left ankle,” McCormick said. “2019 there were complications with the ankle surgery, had to get that repaired. 2020 there were complications with the surgery again, had to get that repaired again. … 2021 I played in my first game back, Ohio State, I tore my Achilles’ on my opposite leg. So I had surgery to fix that. Then 2022, I played the full season.”

In 2022 he had eight catches for 60 yards with two TDs. He graded out at 71.4 percent as a pass blocker and 66.6 as a run blocker that year in 366 reps per Pro Football Focus.

Prior to 2022 he played one rep in 2016, 319 in 2017 (57.5 grade), 11 reps in 2018, 0 reps in 2019 or 2020 and 10 reps in 2021.

Which brings us to last season. McCormick reunited with Cristobal at Miami out of the transfer portal, and he was the full-time starter with Elijah Arroyo – who many expected to start – held to just 69 reps all year due to injury.

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McCormick was seldom-used as a receiver with eight catches for 62 yards, and he was noted by PFF with three drops. He doesn’t like being labeled a blocking tight end, and plans to show he can be a receiving threat this year.

“I want to change the narrative around myself,” McCormick said. “There is always something you can improve, a lot I want to improve, showcase. The time is coming. And I want to be a better leader on the team for guys to look up to in situations where we need someone to be that vocal leader. I feel I can be that. I want to improve on that a lot more.”

Having QB Cam Ward on board should help not just McCormick put up numbers, but the entire offense. McCormick says he’s looking forward to seeing Ward and the other quarterbacks compete this spring.

“Not only Cam but Reese (Poffenbarger), Judd (Anderson), Emory (Williams) and JB (Jacurri Brown) – there is going to be competition in that room and that’s great for them,” McCormick said. “There’s competition in every room, and that’s what is needed to push people to succeed. I’m excited for all those guys to see what they bring to the table. … I’m excited to see the growth in that room making everybody better in the entire offense.”

With Arroyo working back to health and Riley Williams flashing at times as a true freshman last year, McCormick will have to earn the starting job once again.

Regardless, he’s glad to have another year in college and is excited about the Miami tight ends room.

“The tight ends, just because we don’t have this many catches, this many yards, this many touchdowns – we do bring value to this team, it’s just in different ways sometimes,” McCormick said. “Sometimes our number is called, sometimes it’s not called, and everyone in the room does a good job of being selfless and doing what the task is asked for at hand. We rally as a group and do our best.”

McCormick just wants to make the most of this final opportunity.

“I’ve been in college for nine years, but this is my fourth year playing, you know?” McCormick said. “I wasn’t going to let myself be cut short, because in reality playing four is normal. And I want to be able to experience that.”