Top 5 players who extended their college football careers beyond the norm ft. Cam McCormick

NCAA eligibility rules state that student-athletes have five years to compete athletically in four seasons. While five years can be an eternity for some, for others it can pass in a flash.

That said, everybody doesn't seem to rush through it. Some players have taken advantage of the extra season of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic to further extend their college football careers.

On that note, here are five players who just couldn't say goodbye to college and extended their careers beyond the norm.

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5 players who extended their college football careers beyond the norm

#1 Stetson Bennett, Georgia QB, 6 years

2022 Heisman Trophy Presentation

Stetson Bennett is living proof that good things can come to those who wait. The 5'11" walk-on enrolled at Georgia in 2017, transferred to Jones College to gain snaps in 2018 and returned to Georgia in 2019.

After splitting snaps in 2020, Bennett became UGA's starting QB. He was a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2022, passing for 4,127 yards and 27 touchdowns while leading Georgia to back-to-back national championships.

Bennett is now a backup QB with the Los Angeles Rams, having just completed his rookie season at age 26.

#2 Cam Rising, Utah QB, 7 years

Washington State v Utah

The Utah QB began his career at Texas in 2018 and redshirted there before transferring out West.

Rising redshirted a transfer year and then was poised to start for Utah in 2020, before an injury ended his season after just one game and six pass attempts.

Rising starred in 2021 and 2022, passing for over 3,000 yards in the latter season before missing the 2023 season due to injury.

The dual-threat QB has nearly 1,000 rushing yards in his Utah career to add to almost 6,000 passing yards.

Can Utah play spoiler in the CFP in 2024? Given Rising's experience, it's certainly possible.

#3 Kyle Pugh, Northern Illinois LB, 8 years

Kyle Pugh in action for the Huskies

It's not just quarterbacks who can't give up on college football. Pugh, who spent his entire college career at Northern Illinois, battled multiple injuries but still strung together a productive career.

The 6-foot, 226-pound linebacker from Chicago came to NIU in 2015. Pugh redshirted in 2015, played a little in 2016, began starting in 2017, and was second-team all-conference in 2018. He was injured in the second game of the 2019 season, started in an abbreviated 2020 campaign, and then was prepared to use his extra year before a knee injury in spring practice caused him to miss 2021.

Pugh returned in 2022 as an eighth-year senior. He finished his NIU career with 243 tackles and 14.5 tackles for loss.

#4 Jared Folks, Temple and East Tennessee State LB, 8 years

East Tennessee State linebacker Jared Folks

Folks isn't a household name, but he was the NCAA’s first-ever eight-year student-athlete in a single sport. Folks joined Temple University after graduating from high school in Pennsylvania in 2014. He stuck around Temple for four seasons, battling significant injuries.

He redshirted in 2014 and then missed the 2015 season due to injuries. He transferred to ETSU and again battled injuries, but used his COVID and medical redshirt years to last eight seasons.

In his final year, Folks was a second-team all-conference pick.

#5 Cam McCormick, Oregon and Miami TE, 9 years

Tight end CamMcCormick, then at Oregon, now readying for his 9th college football season (Getty Images)

McCormick was a highly-regarded prospect in January 2016, when he entered the University of Oregon. He redshirted in 2016 and missed two entire seasons due to injuries. In the end, he managed to play 23 games for the Ducks.

When he transferred to Miami, he was granted a pair of medical redshirt years due to his injuries. He caught eight passes for 62 yards last year for the Hurricanes, and will now return for his ninth year of college.

McCormick gained two degrees at Oregon and is working on a third at Miami.