Cory McCaffrey

[Riddlewire]

To the best of my knowledge, Cory is the leading rusher out of the entire nation's senior class this year. He has more career yards than any running back who is being recruited to play college football next season. More than Scott. More than McGuffie. More than Calhoun. Cory is #1. He shouldn't have to play for Air Force (no offense to the Falcons). He should be #1 on recruiting lists for USC, Michigan, Ohio State, LSU, Florida, Texas, etc.

 

[Cekropian]

i've just checking out blogs recently re: my nephew cory, and came across this.he hasn't had any outstanding offers. military is not for him, our family doesn't really fit the mold. he looked at PSU this weekend, and is still considering a walk-on at Oregon (where my brother (his dad) hoped he'd go before he passed away) or Oregon State. In any event, we're heart-broken that he hasn't received better offers. We've been told it's due to the fact that he was playing 4A rather than 6A, but we're still baffled. Cory, like all McCaffreys, is tough and can do anything he sets his mind too, and his mom's side of that family has give him a great, level-headedness. That kid has taken on the best from his genepool and done amazing things. I just wish college coaches would see that.

 

[Gi-15]

Hi Mr.McCaffrey, I want you to know that we wish Cory the best, but he is in some tough situation here. Oregon and Oregon State are as Caste as possible. Just look at Matt Sieverson's case, he was OPOY in 03 in class 4A while being bigger than you nephew, he rushed for 2,700+ yards his senior season. Don't know if he got a scholarship, but he joined Oregon State, was switched to safety, then receiver, and only really played RB in his last regular season game, where he rushed for 100+ yards against Oregon. PSU always switch their white RB recruits as well. But I guess Cory would be ready to switch position to play D-1 I guess. It's totally normal. If your nephew really wants to get a shot at playing RB, he should go to a lower division school, but then, look at Danny Woodhead, who went to D2 chadron state, did as good as anybody could ever do, and will be ignored by the NFL...

 

[white lightning]

Try to contact the University of Arizona Wildcats. They have lost a couple of their running back commits and it could end up working out.

Also, Colorodo State has always been very friendly to white running backs. Maybe Byu as well. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[jared]

Colorado State (at least under Lubick), BYU, Boise State, Kansas, Nevada, and possibly Stanford are the only D1A places out west where I think the possibility is there for a white RB. Best of luck to Cory.Edited by: jared

 

[Riddlewire]

Even though it's late in the recruiting process, there are still some options left.
Firstly, Cory should check school commitments. This can either be done at rivals.com or recruiting.scout.com. For example, a quick check at the team listings on Rivals front page reveals that Wyoming has received 15 verbal commitments, but not a single RB commit for this year's class. Although it might take some time, you can easily check out the RB situation at every D1A school in the country (I could probably do it and post a list here, if I find myself unoccupied in the next few hours). A good place to start looking is run-heavy schools. Those statistics can be obtained here. After identifying some likely candidates (schools that need running backs and don't have any commits), contact should be initiated. I'm not sure of the proper procedure these days. I know that submitting highlight films is key. But it might just be enough to place a call to the head coach. In particular, coaches who are new to a job will typically have large recruiting holes to fill and will be eager to talk to ANY recruits. As much as it pains me to do it, I can make one specific recommendation of such a coach. Houston Nutt at Ole Miss. He's new there this year, they've been down, and he's typically an 'underachiever' when it comes to recruiting. He rarely goes after high-star prospects. Also, he is a proven run-first coach. And he's very much a player's coach (although he's definitely not a "fan's coach").
Cekropian, if there's anything we on this board can do to help, just ask.

 

[Riddlewire]

Ok, so I made the list myself, even though it was unasked for. It was an interesting exercise, anyway.
A few notes:
*Div1A only
*I skipped all the schools that were obvious no-go's (FlaSt, Miami, West Virginia, etc.)
*I left off all the schools that already had 2 RB commits, unless there were special circumstances
*I left off the service academies

Components of the list:
First part is the name of the school. Next is the school's rushing rank for last year(more of a fun-fact, not really important). Then I listed the number of kids that had given a verbal commitment to play for the school as a running back (and his star ranking). Finally, I list the number of scholarship offers that each school made to running backs. The number called 'rejected' indicates that a player was offered a scholarship, but gave a verbal commitment to a different school. This can lead to some odd numbers, as scholarships can be recycled after being rejected and offered to different players. Scout and Rivals don't specify. They just list all scholarships made in total.
So, the list:
Louisiana-Lafayette: #7 Rushing, 1RB commit-2star(1offer)
Houston: #10 Rushing, 1RB commit-2starz(4offers)
Nevada: #12 Rushing, 1RB commit-3star(6offers, 2rejections)
TexasA&M: #13 Rushing, 1RB commit-4star(4offers, 3rejections)
Toledo: #15 Rushing, 0RB commits (3offers, 1rejection)
ULM: #16 Rushing, 0RB commits (0 scholarships extended to RBs)
SouthernMiss:#19, 1RB commit-2star(5offers)
Tulsa: #41, 1RB commits-2star(3offers)
Marshall:#70, 0RB, (4 offers, 3 rejected them)
UAB:#104, 1RB-2star(3offers)
Rice:#103, 0RB, (1offer, 1rejection)
Memphis:#74, 0RB, (1offer, uncommitted)
SMU:0RB(1offer, 1rejection)
ArkSt: #39 1RBcommit-1star(myhometown)
Troy: #35 1RB(5offered, 4uncommitted)
MidTenn:#81 0RB(1offer, uncommitted)
FlaAt: #93 0RB(0offers)
Wisc#21, 2RB commit-3star/2star(10 offers, 6rejections)
Minn:#48 2RB commits-3star/1star(10 offers, 4 rejections)
NW: #97 1RB commit-2star(3offers, 2rejections)
WestMich: #86,2RB-2star/2star(4offers, 1reject)
Ohio: #58,0RB (2offers, uncommitted)
Akron: #90 1RB-2star(7offers, 3rejections)
BowlingGreen: #96,0RBcommits(2offers,2rejections)
EastMich: #54,1RB-2star(5offers, 2rejections)
Buffalo: #86, 0RB (0offers)
Northern Illinois: #80, 0RB(1offer, 1rejection)
Ole Miss: #84, 2RB-4star/0star(18offers, 9rejections)
MissSt: #76,1RB-3star(6offers)
Kentucky: #55,0RB(9offers, 6rejections)
Vanderbilt: #59, 0RB (6offers, 2 rejections)
NCState: #110, 0RB (5offers, 2rejections)
NorthCarolina:#107, 1RB-3star (8offers, 4 rejections)
Rutgers: #26,1RB-3star(4offers, 1rejection)
Louisville: #64, 1RB-3star(10offers, 5rejections)
SouthFla: #32,1RB-3star(7offers, 2rejections)
UConn: #49,1RB-2star(8offers, 7rejections)
Colorado: #68,1RB-4star(12offers, 7rejections)
Nebraska: #66,1RB-3star(12offers, 5rejections)
KState: #83, 1RB-2star(11offers,5rejections)
Kansas: #31, 0RB(7offers, 5rejections)
IowaSt: #95, 0RB(3offers, 2rejections)
SDSU: #105, 0RB(6offers, 3rejections)
TCU: #46,0RB(6offers)
Wyoming: #88, 0RB (3offers, 2rejections)
New Mexico: #78, 0RB(3offers, 2rejections)
ColoradoSt: #44, 1RB-2star(3offers)
LaTech: #56, 0RB(2offers)
BoiseSt: #33,1RB-3star(6offers, 4rejections)
Hawaii: #116, 0RB(0offers)new coach
Idaho: #51,0RB, (1offer)
Utah St: #94,0RB(3offers, 1rejection)
SanJoseSt: #112,0RB(4offers, 1rejection)
Cal: #45,1RB-4star(5offers, 2rejections)
Arizona: #114, 1RB-3star(10 offers, 5rejections)
WashSt: #100, 1RB-3star(2offers)

These results are as of 1/15/08. Might all change tomorrow.
Anyway, if a kid wanted to look into finding a scholarship at the D1 level, one of the schools on this list is his best bet. Particularly the ones which made many offers and still have no commits.

 

[whiteCB]

i've just checking out blogs recently re: my nephew cory, and came across this. he hasn't had any outstanding offers.  military is not for him, our family doesn't really fit the mold.  he looked at PSU this weekend, and is still considering a walk-on at Oregon (where my brother (his dad) hoped he'd go before he passed away) or Oregon State.   In any event, we're heart-broken that he hasn't received better offers. We've been told it's due to the fact that he was playing 4A rather than 6A, but we're still baffled.  Cory, like all McCaffreys, is tough and can do anything he sets his mind too, and his mom's side of that family has give him a great, level-headedness.  That kid has taken on the best from his genepool and done amazing things.  I just wish college coaches would see that.

I don't know how your nephew feels about moving out east but there are a lot of MAC schools that might be interested if they knew who Cory was. Ohio University a few years back had a white RB, Miami did last year, and Ball State had one this season. The MAC is a quality football conference comprised of some big schools(student populations of 10k+). I strongly encourage you guys to try and contact schools such as Akron, Kent St, OU, Miami, Bowling Green, the directional Michigan schools and so on.

 

[johnnyboy]

Ok, so I made the list myself, even though it was unasked for. It was an interesting exercise, anyway.
A few notes:
*Div1A only
*I skipped all the schools that were obvious no-go's (FlaSt, Miami, West Virginia, etc.)
*I left off all the schools that already had 2 RB commits, unless there were special circumstances
*I left off the service academies

Components of the list:
First part is the name of the school. Next is the school's rushing rank for last year(more of a fun-fact, not really important). Then I listed the number of kids that had given a verbal commitment to play for the school as a running back (and his star ranking). Finally, I list the number of scholarship offers that each school made to running backs. The number called 'rejected' indicates that a player was offered a scholarship, but gave a verbal commitment to a different school. This can lead to some odd numbers, as scholarships can be recycled after being rejected and offered to different players. Scout and Rivals don't specify. They just list all scholarships made in total.
So, the list:
Louisiana-Lafayette: #7 Rushing, 1RB commit-2star(1offer)
Houston: #10 Rushing, 1RB commit-2starz(4offers)
Nevada: #12 Rushing, 1RB commit-3star(6offers, 2rejections)
TexasA&M: #13 Rushing, 1RB commit-4star(4offers, 3rejections)
Toledo: #15 Rushing, 0RB commits (3offers, 1rejection)
ULM: #16 Rushing, 0RB commits (0 scholarships extended to RBs)
SouthernMiss:#19, 1RB commit-2star(5offers)
Tulsa: #41, 1RB commits-2star(3offers)
Marshall:#70, 0RB, (4 offers, 3 rejected them)
UAB:#104, 1RB-2star(3offers)
Rice:#103, 0RB, (1offer, 1rejection)
Memphis:#74, 0RB, (1offer, uncommitted)
SMU:0RB(1offer, 1rejection)
ArkSt: #39 1RBcommit-1star(myhometown)
Troy: #35 1RB(5offered, 4uncommitted)
MidTenn:#81 0RB(1offer, uncommitted)
FlaAt: #93 0RB(0offers)
Wisc#21, 2RB commit-3star/2star(10 offers, 6rejections)
Minn:#48 2RB commits-3star/1star(10 offers, 4 rejections)
NW: #97 1RB commit-2star(3offers, 2rejections)
WestMich: #86,2RB-2star/2star(4offers, 1reject)
Ohio: #58,0RB (2offers, uncommitted)
Akron: #90 1RB-2star(7offers, 3rejections)
BowlingGreen: #96,0RBcommits(2offers,2rejections)
EastMich: #54,1RB-2star(5offers, 2rejections)
Buffalo: #86, 0RB (0offers)
Northern Illinois: #80, 0RB(1offer, 1rejection)
Ole Miss: #84, 2RB-4star/0star(18offers, 9rejections)
MissSt: #76,1RB-3star(6offers)
Kentucky: #55,0RB(9offers, 6rejections)
Vanderbilt: #59, 0RB (6offers, 2 rejections)
NCState: #110, 0RB (5offers, 2rejections)
NorthCarolina:#107, 1RB-3star (8offers, 4 rejections)
Rutgers: #26,1RB-3star(4offers, 1rejection)
Louisville: #64, 1RB-3star(10offers, 5rejections)
SouthFla: #32,1RB-3star(7offers, 2rejections)
UConn: #49,1RB-2star(8offers, 7rejections)
Colorado: #68,1RB-4star(12offers, 7rejections)
Nebraska: #66,1RB-3star(12offers, 5rejections)
KState: #83, 1RB-2star(11offers,5rejections)
Kansas: #31, 0RB(7offers, 5rejections)
IowaSt: #95, 0RB(3offers, 2rejections)
SDSU: #105, 0RB(6offers, 3rejections)
TCU: #46,0RB(6offers)
Wyoming: #88, 0RB (3offers, 2rejections)
New Mexico: #78, 0RB(3offers, 2rejections)
ColoradoSt: #44, 1RB-2star(3offers)
LaTech: #56, 0RB(2offers)
BoiseSt: #33,1RB-3star(6offers, 4rejections)
Hawaii: #116, 0RB(0offers)new coach
Idaho: #51,0RB, (1offer)
Utah St: #94,0RB(3offers, 1rejection)
SanJoseSt: #112,0RB(4offers, 1rejection)
Cal: #45,1RB-4star(5offers, 2rejections)
Arizona: #114, 1RB-3star(10 offers, 5rejections)
WashSt: #100, 1RB-3star(2offers)

These results are as of 1/15/08. Might all change tomorrow.
Anyway, if a kid wanted to look into finding a scholarship at the D1 level, one of the schools on this list is his best bet. Particularly the ones which made many offers and still have no commits.

that list you made was a great gesture. i really respect your commitment to the cause. kudos to you.

 

[Riddlewire]

I only wish I could be more helpful.
We can't expect Rivals, Scout, or ESPN to do anything for these kids. Rather, they seem intent on burying them.

 

[Stonewall]

Needless to say, great job Riddlewire. I have great respectfor your phenomenal commitment to helping these young white players achieve their dreams despite facing great obstacles.


You are to be highly commended.

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

Cekropian, I would advise you to put up a high quality highlight Youtube video of Cory, you could get video footage from his highschool. You'd then have to transfer it to digital to get it on Youtube. Then go to other H.S stars videos that have a lot of buzz about them like Noel Divine and Sam McGuffie and plug his video. You should get someone to go onto the McGuffie and Divine video's every week and post a comment like

"Check out my nephew Cory McCaffery Oregon 300 meter hurdles champion, cuts on a dime, runs a 4.5 is Oregon's all time leading rusher, tell me what you guys think!"

I saw a couple other kids Javon Brownlee etc. doing that exact thing and now their videos have 30,000 views! It might be too late for this though, but it is worth a shot.

Edited by: ToughJ.Riggins

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

This is how McGuffie got famous. Sam McGuffie was a big star in the Houston area for breaking the Houston county rushing record . Sam had been on TV for a ridiculous hurdle over a player who was barely bending over now known as "the play." Then his friend put up a highlight video on Youtube and word spread about the video from the Houston area accross the entire country, it now has 1.5 million views.

You can't underestimate the power of Youtube. There is no way IMO that McGuffie would have been a highly touted recruit being a white kid without Youtube which allowed the masses to see his jaw dropping talent!

College coaches are afraid of being called racist for giving a RB scholarship to a white kid. This is how strong the stereotyping is. Coaches do the status quo to keep their jobs safe. College's want most of the athletic scholarships to go to blacks b/c they think in their liberal minds that blacks are underrepresented in college which isn't true anymore.

Rivals and ESPN will "never" put a white RB "ever" in their top 250 overall player rankings. If McGuffie "the white Reggie Bush" isn't even in their top 250 no white will ever make it.

But forget Rivals and ESPN, McGuffie now has a full scholarship to Michigan and without a doubt it is because of Youtube IMO. White kids need buzz to legitimize playing time at black positions. Youtube is the best place to legitimize your nephew's talent! McGuffie is going to go on to star in college and maybe even the NFL b/c of this!Edited by: ToughJ.Riggins

 

[OregonState]

We've been told it's due to the fact that he was playing 4A rather than 6A, but we're still baffled.

It seems to me that he played in a very weak division (through no fault of his own, of course). His team was undefeated, and destroyedthe opposition593-162. When you outscoreyour opponents by 431points over an 11 gameseason, it leads college coaches to believe, rightly or wrongly, that Cory was a product of his team and dominant offensive line, rather than actual skill.


I heard he really enjoyed his recent visit with Jerry Glanville at1-AA Portland State. Did they make him an offer?

 

[Don Wassall]

It seems to me that he played in a very weak division (through no fault of his own, of course). His team was undefeated, and destroyedthe opposition593-162. When you outscoreyour opponents by 431points over an 11 gameseason, it leads college coaches to believe, rightly or wrongly, that Cory was a product of his team and dominant offensive line, rather than actual skill.

Whereas if the team was black, Cory andmany of his teammates would need several boxes to sort the correspondencethey would be receiving from I-A schools.

 

[Riddlewire]

We've been told it's due to the fact that he was playing 4A rather than 6A, but we're still baffled.

It seems to me that he played in a very weak division (through no fault of his own, of course). His team was undefeated, and destroyed the opposition 593-162. When you outscore your opponents by 431 points over an 11 game season, it leads college coaches to believe, rightly or wrongly, that Cory was a product of his team and dominant offensive line, rather than actual skill.


I heard he really enjoyed his recent visit with Jerry Glanville at 1-AA Portland State. Did they make him an offer?

Terrell Pryor played 2A football. Regardless of divisional strength, that's low end football. Put his super team against any random 4A team from a southern state and they would've been embarrassed in the extreme. Yet Pryor is the #1 recruit in the nation and possibly the most hyped high school football player of all time.
Also, Cory's reputation was already solidified after his sophomore year. If he's just a 'product of the system', then opposing teams would easily be able to stack the line and shut him (and his team) down. Yet the Outlaws kept winning, and Cory kept rushing for insane yardage.
There's no way to spin this in the negative, as you're trying to do. Cory is one of the most talented runners in high school football history. His numbers prove that. He should be playing 1A football.

 

[Riddlewire]

Cory commits to Portland State. As a wide receiver.

"McCaffrey is 16th in the nation in career rushing yards, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations. McCaffrey was twice selected Oregon's Class 4A offensive player of the year after leading the Outlaws to consecutive championship games. He was also honored as the Gatorade player of the year for the state."

Congratulations to Cory. I hope he has a successful career and a successful life.
And piss on Rivals...
Edited by: Riddlewire

 

[Gi-15]

Well, he got a free education. Good for him, Jerry Glanville's program seems like one on the rise. Hope he makes an impact at that level. Good luck!

 

[Riddlewire]

Well, he got a free education.

Did he?
It's being called a 'partial scholarship'. I don't know what that means, but it sounds like the tennis scholarship I got back in college, which was just about enough to cover the cost of textbooks...
Maybe Cekropian can fill in the details, if he's still checking this forum.

 

[Cekropian]

sorry, i wasn't checking the list for a while. too much work at the office the past few weeks. actually, i'm cory's aunt, not uncle. he did receive a full ride. that was one of the primary reasons he decided on PSU. another big factor was the fact that he will get to play and not just sit. we are really excited to have him living back in portland. his gf also lives over here, and i've heard he's talked him into doing his laundry...so that may have been another consideration for him.

I've never paid much (ok, any) attention to PSU football, but this year I will. As a family member, I'm really happy that we will be able to just hop on the train downtown and watch him play homegames...and have seats as well. Oh, and Cory will also be playing in the Oregon highschool all-star game in August in Baker City, if anyone happens to be in the area. It's a long drive for us, but most the family will be there to continue cheering him on. Thanks for the blogs. It's really cool to see all the discussions. Cory has made us all very proud, especially in light of the fact that we lost his dad when Cory was only 11. I know Mike is up there, cheering him on. (although he may be a little disappointed he didn't choose UofO) =) ~Amy

 

[Riddlewire]

All good to hear.
We at this site tend to overemphasize an end result (the NFL and the path to get there). But most kids don't end up there, so whatever makes them happy and successful is what's most important. I'm glad Cory will get to continue playing football and showing his skill. Although I'm a little miffed I'll never be able to see any of it (PSU highlights aren't exactly #1 on ESPN's must-show list).
As for not becoming a Duck, the best consolation is that Cory won't have to wear those uniforms

.

 

[whiteCB]

Hey a full ride aka free education is what its all about. For Cory to receive a full ride from a D-1AA program tells me that they really like Cory a lot and will let him play right away.

 

[Electric Slide]

Hey a full ride aka free education is what its all about. For Cory to receive a full ride from a D-1AA program tells me that they really like Cory a lot and will let him play right away.

I think it's also important to note that playing D-1AA/FCS does not necessarily exclude you from the NFL. Last year a couple of 1AA players did get drafted in the late rounds or picked up as free agents. Obviously it's extremely more difficult to get noticed, and it always begs the question "if they were talented enough to make it in the NFL, why weren't they playing 1A?"

I had a high school teammate who played for a 1AA school, was 2X All-American, and did get drafted in the 6th round in 2006. He has played in all but one special teams the last two seasons. Obviously he is an exceptional case, but I still wish the best for Cory.

 

[lucky825]

ok...i know this is weird that i joined this forum only to reply to this topic.


I go to Sisters High School in Sisters Oregon. I am a senior and Cory is in my graduating class. I am just as shocked as most people are that Cory isn't listed on Rivals at all. In fact, having been to all of the home games and the State Championship game against Marist High School, I believe that the way Cory plays should get him into a good college and get him noticed around the nation as a star athlete. He's broke the state record for rushing yards his Junior year, passing up 5,000. By the end of his senior year he broke the 8,000 markfor a 4-year career high. Many of the games I have seen him in, he has dominated the field withmind blowing speed and agility. He has been accepted by Portland State University and i believe will try out for Wide Reciever. (see article below)


[url]http://www.bendbulletin.com/archive/2008/01/25/portland_stat e_lands_sisters_star_mccaffrey_in_football.html [/url]


He got a $100K full-ride scholarship.





but anyway. I wish cory the best of luck in his career as a football player. He is truly atremendous athlete with a gift that cannot be learned. It is an honor to know him as a person on and off the field.

 

[jared]

Thanks for the update lucky. I'm sure everyone here is happy he got a very generous scholarship but like you, we're all bummed that he was snubbed by Div 1A colleges. It's such a shame but we see it happen time and again around the country to deserving white athletes. At least you noticed though. Keep your eyes open and spread the word.