Dylan McCaffrey
Littleton (CO) Valor Christian quarterback Dylan McCaffrey committed to Michigan on Monday night. He chose the Wolverines over offers from Arizona State, Colorado, Colorado State, LSU, Missouri, Nebraska, Penn State, UCLA, and Washington, among others.
RATINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 85 grade, #1 pocket QB, #25 overall
Rivals: 4-star, #6 dual-threat QB, #114 overall
Scout: 4-star, #3 QB, #39 overall
247 Sports: 4-star, 95 grade, #2 pro-style QB, #46 overall
Hit the jump for more on McCaffrey’s commitment.
Originally, I had a scouting report on 2017 quarterbacks scheduled to be posted this morning, and then McCaffrey stole my thunder by announcing last night, so I went ahead and posted it. Here’s the McCaffrey-related excerpt:
1. Dylan McCaffrey – QB – Littleton (CO) Valor Christian: McCaffrey is a 6’5″, 200 lb. prospect who is uncommitted. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #2 pro-style quarterback, and #45 overall. As a junior in 2015, he completed 207/320 passes (64.7%) for 2,800 yards, 27 TDs, and 4 INTs; he also ran 128 times for 592 yards (4.6 yards/carry) and 13 TDs. He is the son of former Stanford and NFL wide receiver Ed McCaffrey, as well as the brother of current Stanford running back – and Heisman finalist – Christian McCaffrey. In watching his junior year film, it became pretty clear why Michigan has him at or near the top of their board: he looks a great deal like Jake Rudock. McCaffrey is, of course, a couple inches taller than Rudock, but a lot of their mannerisms are very similar. McCaffrey is very balanced and unhurried in the pocket, and he does a nice job of standing tall and climbing in the pocket while waiting for the play to develop. He plays in a pro-style offense with dropbacks from under center, some shotgun passes, and an occasional designed run. He does good work with his ball handling and sees the field well. His anticipation is not on the same level as Bailey Hockman’s, but he makes good reads. McCaffrey is not a truly dynamic runner, but he is fast enough to escape and surprise some people with his speed. He has a nice over-the-top delivery, and with his height, that should prevent too many balls being batted down.
You can read the rest of the post, which includes scouting reports on nine other quarterback targets, here (LINK).
McCaffrey was offered almost a year ago exactly in February of 2015 (LINK). It was presumed that Michigan would factor heavily into his recruitment, but the Stanford shoe has been waiting to drop. For whatever reason(s), that shoe still hasn’t dropped, despite the fact that McCaffrey’s older brother Christian is doing his damnedest to win the Heisman and set records for the Cardinal. The longer McCaffrey has waited for that Stanford offer, the better Michigan’s chances became. They seem to be working hard to earn the commitment of Georgia product Davis Mills, who is also profiled in that above-linked scouting report. McCaffrey says he’s rock solid to Michigan, won’t take any other visits, and wants to start recruiting 2017 players to Michigan, most of all Detroit wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones. I will feel more confident if/when Mills commits to Stanford.
My thoughts on McCaffrey are pretty well encapsulated above, so I won’t spend much more time discussing his talents. There are two things I want to highlight, though. More than most players on that list of ten, McCaffrey plays in a pro-style offense with fullbacks, tight ends, etc., so the transition to Michigan should not be too overwhelming from a system standpoint. Additionally, despite being listed by some as a pro-style QB, McCaffrey has some athleticism. I don’t think he’s a true dual-threat guy who can take over a game with his arm or legs equally, but he’s a guy who is probably going to surprise teams at some point by tucking the ball and running. Since you’re presumably a Michigan fan, I would advise you not to be too awfully surprised if he rips off some Jake Rudock- or Tate Forcier-like runs someday. In fact, I think Taller Jake Rudock is a good approximation of what McCaffrey can do.
A partial list of the McCaffrey family’s athletic achievements:
- Dave Sime, Dylan’s maternal grandfather, was a college baseball player and Olympic silver medalist sprinter
- Lisa Sime, Dylan’s mother, played soccer at Stanford
- Ed McCaffrey, Dylan’s dad, played wide receiver at Stanford, was a 3rd round pick of the Giants, played for the 49ers, and won two Super Bowls with the Broncos
- Max McCaffrey, Dylan’s oldest brother, finished his senior year playing wide receiver at Duke, where he started for the past three seasons
- Christian McCaffrey, Dylan’s next oldest brother, was a Heisman finalist and record-setter as a sophomore running back at Stanford this past season
- Luke McCaffrey, Dylan’s younger brother, is a QB who just finished his freshman year (class of 2019) at Valor Christian
McCaffrey is the fifth commitment in the 2017 class and the first quarterback. Michigan sort of tried to take two quarterbacks in the 2016 class, but Victor Viramontes signed with Cal, and Michigan “only” got Brandon Peters, the #61 overall player in the class. Harbaugh likes to take two quarterbacks in each class, so it will be interesting to see if he gets another one in 2017. I did not have Peters ranked at the top of my list of 2016 quarterbacks, and I think this 2017 class has a little less top-tier talent, but I would still probably rank McCaffrey ahead of Peters. It bodes well for Michigan, though, that they could recruit the #61 and #44 overall players at the same position in consecutive classes.
According to the 2016 Scholarship Count (LINK), this 2017 class is currently slated to accept 21 commitments.
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More on his family:
Dave Sime also played football at Duke and was good enough to get drafted by the Lions.
Uncle Billy McCaffrey played basketball at Duke and Vandy in the early 90s and was a member of the 90-91 Duke national championship team.
So not only are they great athletes, but they’re darn smart, too. I’m seeing Duke, Stanford, Vandy all over the family tree. Will Dylan be the black sheep for going to a *gasp* public school??? (kidding)
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Thanks for the additions. I completely forgot about Billy.
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Regarding his athleticism … I imagine asking Harbaugh that question: “Coach, how fast do you need your QB to be?”
His answer would likely be: “Fast enough.”
Rudock wasn’t a burner either, but when the defense gave him a running lane, he took it. Brains over braun. Be fast enough to elude pocket pressure, and be fast enough to pick up the first down.
Do I want a 6’6″ QB with 4.2 speed and the ability to drop the ball exactly where it’s needed every time? Sure. But I think other QB qualities take precedence.
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Can’t believe there is a more perfect QB prospect around than this guy for a Jim Harbaugh offense. If we don’t win a NC with Peters we will with McCaffrey
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You gave peters an 86 once he committed would you still give him the same grade after you watch all his high school highlights n all star practices. ..and do u think mcaffrey is a better prospects as of right now then peters.
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Thundar said he likes McCaffrey even better than Peters
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I’m going to finalize the 2016 TTB Ratings soon. But yes, I do think McCaffrey is a better college prospect than Peters.
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Take this FWIW, but JH told someone that posts on another board that Dylan McCaffrey is the best QB prospect he has seen at the high school level in a long time.
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Awesome pickup so early in the process. Very motivating! Any chance of him enrolling early so no anxiety come LOI day?
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I haven’t heard anything about him enrolling early. A lot of times those things aren’t decided until summer/fall, because it usually involves kids taking classes over the summer.
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If Stanford pursues McCaffery agressively how likely do you think it is that he ends up there?
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I think ego would play into it and he stays baring something really drastic if what everyone says about Stanford liking Davis Mills more than McCaffery. No one likes being the second date to the prom….
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Based on what happened in this past class, anything can happen. I think it all depends on when the offer would come. If Stanford offers tomorrow and goes hard after him, I wouldn’t be at all surprised. If they wait until November, chances are much slimmer. By that point McCaffrey will be the point man for this class, and I don’t think his parents would let him leave Michigan’s program in flux like that.
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TTB ranking of 90?
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90? Way too low. It will be in the 200s.
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So he can forgo his senior year of highschool, enroll this fall, and win us the national title? Doesn’t sound too bad.
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