Miami’s first TD of the 2024 season came courtesy of a player in his ninth season of college football.
Tight end Cam McCormick caught a first-quarter pass from Cam Ward to give the Hurricanes an early lead over Florida on Saturday. The score is McCormick’s first as a Miami player and just the fifth TD he’s scored in college.
The Hurricanes would go on to blow out the Gators 41-17 in an impressive showing that stamps them as the favorites to win the ACC. The touchdown was McCormick’s sole catch of the game.
McCormick, 26, is the longest-tenured player in college football history and is less than a month younger than Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert, who’s entering his fifth season in the NFL.
Both Herbert and McCormick played together at Oregon and were members of the 2016 recruiting class. After spending the 2016 season redshirting, McCormick played in 2017 and appeared in every game.
In 2018, McCormick suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the first game of the season. He ended up missing the entire 2019 season too because of multiple surgeries and didn’t get a chance to play in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
He then suffered a season-ending Achilles injury two games into the 2021 season before appearing in 13 games for the Ducks in 2022 with 10 catches for 66 yards and three touchdowns.
McCormick transferred to Miami for his eighth season of college football in 2023 and had eight catches for 62 yards a season ago. He was granted a ninth season of eligibility by the NCAA over the offseason and made the decision to return for a final season in 2024. On Saturday, that decision paid off with a TD.