McCaffrey showing 'out of sight' mentality in first fall camp

During a brief scrimmage portion of the Nebraska football team’s first full-pads practice on Wednesday, Luke McCaffrey did something that would normally make a coach pull his hair out.

After the protection broke down in the pocket, the true freshman quarterback scrambled up field and could have easily slid for a first down. Instead, as the defense closed in on him, McCaffrey turned and threw a lateral to a wide-open Rahmir Johnson along the left sideline.

Not only did that end up picking up an additional chunk of yards, it showcased McCaffrey’s natural instincts as a playmaker. It also highlighted just how much trust the 18-year old has gained from his coaches.

“Oh yeah, as long as he has assurance doing it…” NU quarterbacks coach Mario Verduzco said when asked if he liked that type of play. “Seeing those things from Mac and making sure that he has assurance, that’s tremendous…

“That’s golden, man. Let’s go. I’m all for that.”

Verduzco said as of Wednesday sophomore Noah Vedral was the frontrunner to earn the Huskers’ No. 2 quarterback job behind starter Adrian Martinez. However, Verduzco added that it was still a “fun battle” for that role between Vedral, junior Andrew Bunch, and McCaffrey.

While McCaffrey might not have the experience as the other quarterbacks in the room, he’s already displayed a mental grasp of the position and Nebraska’s offensive scheme well beyond his years.

According to Verduzco, McCaffrey scored “out of sight” in the group’s annual playbook test before the start of camp, which is made up of a whopping 722 questions and covers every aspect of NU’s offense.

“It was really, really, really good. As good as I’ve ever been around for a young guy,” Verduzco said. “Coming in and being able to handle 722 questions on a playbook test and missing really very, very few, it was unbelievable.”

McCaffrey took some reps with the first-team offense on Monday, and Verduzco said he “did a really nice job” in his first big opportunity of the fall.

While playing behind Martinez and competing with two older and more experienced players for reps will make it tough for McCaffrey to make an immediate impact, he’s well on his way to developing into the next in line in Nebraska’s quarterback room.

“That (mental) part of his profile I feel is solid,” Verduzco said. “The stroke (throwing motion) issues we’ll get figured out. Obviously he’s a high-work ethic guy and a great young guy, and then it’s just going to be a matter of getting reps.”