Stephen A. Smith explains why Christian McCaffrey should win NFL MVP
Despite Brock Purdy and Lamar Jackson having stellar seasons, Stephen A. Smith believes the 2023 NFL MVP award belongs to 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey.
Sports Seriously
When the San Francisco 49ers take on the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2024 Super Bowl, Michigan fans will see a familiar name on the back of the 49ers’ jersey. The player wearing it just won’t be the one they saw wear the Michigan’s maize and blue before.
San Francisco running back Christian McCaffrey, the brother of former Wolverine quarterback Dylan McCaffrey, has taken the NFL by storm since entering the league in 2017, becoming one of the NFL’s best offensive players. He’s now chasing the first Super Bowl ring of his career with the 49ers.
With that, here’s a look back at Christian McCaffrey’s college career, his relationship with brother Dylan and more:
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Christian McCaffrey college
Christian McCaffrey attended Stanford University.
The dual-threat running back’s best season in Palo Alto came during his sophomore year, when he broke Brian Westbrook’s previous NCAA record for single-season all-purpose yards record (which includes return yards) with 3,864 yards.
Christian McCaffrey had some big games at Stanford, but perhaps none bigger than his 2015 Rose Bowl performance, when he became the first player in Rose Bowl history to have 100 yards rushing and 100 yards receiving in a game. He was also named a Heisman finalist that season but came in second to Alabama running back Derrick Henry.
Here’s a year-by-year breakdown of Christian McCaffrey’s stats at Stanford:
- 2014: 42 carries for 300 yards; 17 receptions for 251 yards with two touchdowns
- 2015: 337 carries for 2,019 yards with eight touchdowns; 45 receptions for 645 yards with five touchdowns; two passes for 39 yards with two passing touchdowns
- 2016: 253 carries for 1,603 yards with 13 touchdowns; 37 receptions for 310 yards with three touchdowns
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When was Christian McCaffrey drafted?
Christian McCaffrey was the No. 8 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers.
He spent his first five seasons in Carolina before being traded to San Francisco on Oct. 21, 2022, for multiple draft picks.
Are Christian McCaffrey and Dylan McCaffrey brothers?
Yes. Christian is the older brother to Dylan McCaffrey. Both have an older brother, Max McCaffrey, and a younger brother, Luke McCaffrey.
Both come from a rather athletic family as their dad, Ed McCaffrey, and mom, Lisa McCaffrey, were star athletes themselves. After his All-American career at Stanford, Ed McCaffrey went on to play in the NFL for 13 years with the New York Giants, Denver Broncos and 49ers, where he won three Super Bowls. Lisa McCaffrey played women’s soccer at Stanford for three seasons.
Christian McCaffrey can make history alongside dad, Ed, with Super Bowl win
If Christian McCaffrey, he will make history alongside his father Ed McCaffrey: They would be the second father-son Super Bowl Champion duo for the same franchise in NFL history.
Ed McCaffrey won three Super Bowls across his 13-year NFL career with the Denver Broncos and 49ers. The other father-son duo to win a Lombardi Trophy for the the same franchise is Steve and Zak DeOssie, who each won a title with the New York Giants.
In an interview with former NFL defensive tackle and CBS’s JJ Watt spoke on the opportunity at hand and what it would mean to him:
“I felt like I was very mentally prepared to come into the league because of everything he caught me and the fact he was part of three Super Bowl teams and I know how tough that is,” Christian McCaffrey said. “It’s really surreal and it’s opportunity of a lifetime. To share that with him would be awesome.”
Dylan McCaffrey’s stint with Michigan football
Dylan McCaffrey − who was listed as a four-star recruit and the No. 2 overall prospect in Colorado in the 2017 class per 247Sports’ Composite rankings − began his collegiate career at Michigan under Jim Harbaugh.
After Shea Patterson declared for the 2020 NFL Draft, Dylan McCaffrey had been looked at as the Wolverines’ next starter, but things changed ahead of shortened 2020 COVID-19 season when he lost out on the starting position to Joe Milton. Those events prompted him to opt out of that season and enter the transfer portal.
He transferred to Northern Colorado to play for his father, Ed McCaffrey, where he completed 348 of 580 passes (60% completion rate) for 3,257 yards and 17 touchdowns while rushing for 378 yards and four touchdowns on 124 carries in two seasons.
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Here’s a full year-by-year breakdown of Dylan McCaffrey’s college stats:
- 2018 with Michigan: Eight completions for 126 yards with two touchdowns; 10 carries for 99 yards and a touchdown
- 2019 with Michigan: 10 completions for 116 yards with one touchdown; 13 carries for 67 yards and a touchdown
- 2021 with Northern Colorado: 159 completions for 1,333 yards with five touchdowns; 58 carries for 227 yards with four touchdowns
- 2022 with Northern Colorado: 189 completions for 1,924 yards with 12 touchdowns; 66 carries for 151 yards
REQUIRED READING: Super Bowl 58 rooting guide for Big Ten teams: Chiefs, 49ers players who played in conference
Did Christian McCaffrey play for Jim Harbaugh at Stanford?
No. Despite both sharing a connection to Stanford, as Jim Harbaugh coached the Cardinal from 2007-10 and Christian McCaffrey playing for the Cardinal from 2014-16, he did not play for Harbaugh at Stanford.
Who is Christian McCaffrey’s grandfather?
Christian McCaffrey is a threat on the ground with his quick speed and footwork. It’s a gene in the McCarthy athletic DNA that traces back to his grandfather, Dave Sime, who was regarded as the world’s fastest human during the 1950s. Sime is the father of Lisa McCaffrey.
Born on July 25, 1937 in Paterson, New Jersey, Sime became a world-class athlete during his time whether that was on the football field or where he shined the most − the track. Sports Illustrated even coined him as “Superman in spikes.”
Sime attended Duke where he earned All-American honors in both track and baseball. He captured a silver medal in the 1960 Rome Olympic Games in the 100-meter dash but as noted by NorthJersey.com, Sime believed he should have two gold medals if it was not for a groin injury sustained from horseback riding and a disqualification for a baton exchange in a relay race.
“The sad part is I didn’t go to Rome to get a silver medal,” Sime told NorthJersey.com in a 2010 interview. “Things happen in sports. You move on and you get over it.”
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