Is Luke McCaffrey related to Christian McCaffrey? Exploring the links between Rice WR and San Francisco RB

Luke McCaffrey began his college football journey as a quarterback for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He switched to the wide receiver position while with the Rice Owls and has developed a natural talent to play the position.

After five seasons of college football, Luke McCaffrey declared for the 2024 NFL draft. He also participated in the 2024 Reese's Senior Bowl. Given that his last name is McCaffrey, fans ponder whether he's related to San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey.

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Is Luke McCaffrey related to Christian McCaffrey?

Yes, Luke McCaffrey is related to the 49ers running back. Luke is Christian McCaffrey's younger brother and the son of former NFL wide receiver Ed McCaffrey. Given the long lineage of NFL players in his family, Luke McCaffrey also developed a passion for football.

The 22-year-old began his collegiate journey with the Nebraska Cornhuskers as a redshirt freshman in 2019. He returned for the 2020 pandemic-shortened campaign as a backup to Nebraska starting QB Adrian Martinez.

After his second season with the Cornhuskers, the young McCaffrey entered the transfer portal and joined the Rice Owls after a few months with Louisville. In 2021, he competed with Riley Green for the QB1 job.

After recording 313 passing yards and two TDs with three starts, McCaffrey transitioned to a wide receiver. In his last campaign with the Rice Owls in 2023, the 22-year-old compiled 992 receiving yards and 13 receiving touchdowns.

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Christian McCaffrey's college career

Christian McCaffrey played with the Stanford Cardinals during his entire college career. He kicked off his debut campaign as a true freshman and played all 13 games in 2014.

In 2015, CMC made a big impression in the CFB world. He compiled an astounding 2,019 rushing yards and eight rushing TDs, finishing as a runner-up in the 2015 Heisman voting, behind Derrick Henry of the Alabama Crimson Tide.

McCaffrey played a third season with the Cardinals in 2016 before foregoing his eligibility and declaing for the 2017 draft. He was drafted eighth overall by the Carolina Panthers before being traded to the 49ers in Oct. 2022.