Since 2002 there have been 16 high school quarterbacks that have signed with Nebraska. Of those 16, nine went on to be early enrollees.
2019 signee Luke McCaffery joins names like Adrian Martinez, Patrick O’Brien, Tristan Gebbia, Cody Green, Curt Dukes, Kody Spano, Patrick Witt and Zack Darlington as the latest QB to early enroll.
As McCaffery makes his way through spring practice, it’s clear the Colorado native has come to Lincoln well prepared.
McCaffery is the son of former Denver Bronco wide receiver Ed, and the younger brother of current Carolina Panther running back Christian McCaffery, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Max McCaffery and Michigan back-up quarterback Dylan McCaffery.
So in a lot of ways, Luke McCaffery has spent his entire life in a football incubator. He sleeps, eats and drinks football, and knows what it takes to play at the highest level.
When it came time for Luke McCaffery to come to Lincoln, he was given the playbook from quarterbacks coach Mario Verduzco in December, and it’s safe to say he’s entered spring practice much further ahead mentally than anyone could’ve imagined.
“He’s been busting his tail out there,” Martinez said of McCaffery. “Nothing less is expected when you are working with Coach Verduzco and the rest of us. He’s really driven, he works hard, and he’s eager to do everything right and do things the right way.
“I’m sure you guys already know, but he did a great job of just knowing what to do when it comes to the playbook. It took me off-guard to be honest with you. When we first got here, he was talking like he had been here for a year already. I was like ‘man, this guy knows what he’s doing.’ Obviously, there’s learning curves when you go out there and play against our guys, but he’s doing a great job so far.”
The battle for the No. 2 quarterback position appears to be wide-open this spring. Guys like sophomore Noah Vedral and junior Andrew Bunch are both battling with McCaffery in practice.
“I think it’s pretty clear who our No. 1 is, but it’s an ongoing competition at every position,” head coach Scott Frost said.
It’s safe to say even Verduzco has been impressed with how far ahead McCaffery is, and he’s very excited to see what he can do as he continues to grow and develop.
“I think just from his background he kind of has an idea of how we are supposed to do things and what he needs to be prepared for,” Verduzco said of McCaffery. “He signed, he got all the information and he was here mid-year. He had everything he needed and knows what we are going to expect. He’s been diligent about it.”
When Verduzco looks at his quarterback position now compared to six months ago, it’s also in a much better place.
Martinez is an established starter, Bunch has some games under his belt, Vedral is eligible to play, Matt Masker is a year older and McCaffery has added more competition to the “Cube Room” as Verduzco calls it.
“We go into the Troy game and we felt like we had to take care of Andrew (Bunch),” Verduzco said. “So the poor guy is playing the game like he had one leg tied behind his back in terms of things ‘we didn’t want him to do,’ in terms of running the ball.
"We obviously feel a lot better about it. Noah (Vedral) is more comfortable. Andrew (Bunch) has got a year underneath his belt and so does Matthew (Masker). And I suspect, just based on what I’ve seen this spring from Lucas (McCaffery), he’ll feel pretty comfortable as we move our way into fall camp.”
