Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic granted college athletes an additional year of eligibility, we have seen some unusually old players competing at the NCAA level.
Add in medical redshirts and some players have more than doubled the typical allotted four years in college athletics.
Miami tight end Cam McCormick is a prime example of that, as he is heading into his ninth season of college football in 2024.
How does McCormick have enough eligibility remaining to still play for the Hurricanes nine years after high school? The Sporting News takes a closer look below.
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How old is Cam McCormick?
McCormick is 26 years old. He was born on April 2, 1998.
A three-star recruit in the high school class of 2016, McCormick committed to the University of Oregon in 2015. He missed his senior season of high school with a torn ACL and enrolled at Oregon ahead of the 2016 academic year.
While McCormick is one of the oldest players suiting up in the 2024 college football season, he is not the oldest. Arkansas freshman WR Monte Harrison is 29 years old. Harrison is resuming his football playing career after years of professional baseball.
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Cam McCormick's college football eligibility, explained
NCAA rules allow players five years to play four seasons. If a player is granted a medical redshirt, another year is added to that five-year total.
McCormick redshirted during the 2016 season to continue to rehab the torn ACL suffered in high school. He played his first full season of college football in 2017, appearing in 13 games for the Ducks.
In the 2018 season opener, McCormick suffered a broken fibula and deltoid ligament in his left leg, sidelining him for the remainder of the season. Complications stemming from the surgery limited McCormick to three games in the 2019 season and held him out of the COVID-19-impacted 2020 season.
After working to return in 2021, McCormick suffered a torn Achilles tendon in the second game of the season and was granted a ninth year of eligibility, meaning he could play collegiately through the 2024 season.
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McCormick returned to the field for the Ducks in 2022 and appeared in 13 games and entered the transfer portal following the season, ultimately electing Miami. He appeared in 13 games in 2023 and will suit up for his ninth and final season of college football in 2024.
| Season | School | Games played |
| 2016 | Oregon | 0 (Redshirt) |
| 2017 | Oregon | 13 |
| 2018 | Oregon | 1 (Redshirt) |
| 2019 | Oregon | 0 (Redshirt) |
| 2020 | Oregon | 0 (Redshirt) |
| 2021 | Oregon | 2 (Redshirt) |
| 2022 | Oregon | 13 |
| 2023 | Miami | 13 |
| 2024 | Miami | — |
