9 Years Of College NOT 'Down The Drain' For Miami Tight End Cam McCormick

"Seven years of college down the drain. Might as well join the (bleepin') Peace Corps," John "Bluto" Blutarsky, played by John Belushi, says in the classic "Animal House" movie.

Try nine.

Miami tight end Cam McCormick, 25, has received a ninth year of eligibility by the NCAA in hopes that nine can allow him to play four complete seasons of college football.

Cam McCormick was at Oregon from 2016-22 as a tight end. He stands on the sidelines here against Eastern Washington on Sept. 10, 2022, in Eugene, Oregon. He caught two passes for 13 yards with a 2-yard in this game. (Photo by Tom Hauck/Getty Images)

And McCormick, unlike Blutarsky, graduated and has two degrees with a third in the works. He received a bachelor's degree in journalism and a master's in advertising and brand responsibility at Oregon before finishing playing there in 2022. And he is now doing post-baccalaureate studies at Miami, where he played in the 2023 season.

Miami TE Cam McCormick Suffered Major Injuries At Oregon

McCormick may consider pursuing a medical degree as well. His college career has lasted so long because of a string of major injuries. He signed at Oregon in 2016 as a three-star prospect out of Summit High in Bend, Oregon, as the No. 20 tight end in the nation and No. 295 player overall.

Donald Trump was still a year away from being president the first time at that point. Then-Alabama coach Nick Saban had only won five of his seven national championships. And then-New England coach Bill Belichick had won just four of his six Super Bowls.

"I love my teammates, my coaches, and the University of Miami," McCormick said Thursday after getting the NCAA waiver.

After being red-shirted in '16, McCormick played 13 games in 2017 for the Ducks primarily as a backup and caught six passes for 89 yards with a touchdown under coach Willie Taggart. He broke his ankle in the 2018 season opener after catching one pass, and missed the rest of the season under new coach Mario Cristobal.

This was no ordinary broken ankle. It had complications and eventually required three surgeries. He missed all of the 2019 season. The NCAA at that point granted him a fifth year of eligibility for the injury and the sixth year for COVID.

He then missed all of the COVID-shortened 2020 season with the same ankle injury as the Ducks played just seven games.

NCAA Helped Cam McCormick Since Start At Oregon

In 2021 as a sixth-year "senior," McCormick played in Oregon's first two games and caught one pass. This was no ordinary catch, though.

"Made an impressive 16-yard catch through traffic in Oregon's historic 35-28, upset win at Ohio State for his only reception of the season and first since 2018, picking up a critical first down while going down with an injury," Oregon's bio of McCormick states. He tore his Achilles tendon on the play and missed the rest of the 2021 season.

He got that year back as well because the injury was so early in the season, and he went into 2022 as a seventh-year senior at Oregon under new coach Dan Lanning. McCormick came back strong by playing in 13 games with 11 starts - his first full season since 2017. He caught eight passes for 62 yards and won the 2022 Capital One Orange Bowl Courage Award from the Football Writers Association of America. The award goes to the player who best displays courage on or off the field, including overcoming injury.

A quality blocker, McCormick Played 366 offensive snaps and earned a 71.4 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus.

Plays For Former Oregon Coach Mario Cristobal At Miami

McCormick rejoined Cristobal at Miami for the 2023 season and got in his third full season. He started 11 games, played in 13 and caught eight passes for 62 yards.

Now, he will get his fourth full season in Miami.

Cam McCormick of the Oregon Ducks catches a TD pass against UCLA at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon, on October 22, 2022. (Photo by Tom Hauck/Getty Images)

"Despite the challenges, I want to finish what we started together," McCormick said. "The bond we share is everlasting and makes it all worthwhile."

McCormick will be 26 on April 2.

Miami's Mario Cristobal Praises Cam McCormick's Character

"Cam is an amazing young man of service, a great athlete, hard worker, and a natural born leader," Cristobal said. "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."

Cam McCormick will be 27 by the time the 2025 NFL Draft rolls along.

If there is a senior - a ninth-year senior that is - deserving of an invite to the 2025 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, it is Cam McCormick.

See you there.