Former Rice wide receiver Luke McCaffrey does not have anything approaching the name recognition of his brother, San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey.
Unlike Christian, who spent three high-profile years with Stanford and nearly won the Heisman Trophy in 2015, Luke struggled to find his footing at first. After an ill-fated two-year stint quarterbacking Nebraska, McCaffrey transferred to play for the Owls and switched positions.
The result: a 723-yard season in 2022, a 922-yard season in 2023, and an invitation to the NFL scouting combine in 2024. On Saturday, Luke further proved his NFL credentials by beating his brother’s time in the 40-yard dash.
Looks like @mccaffrey_luke just beats out his brother @CMC_22 in the 40 👀
📺: #NFLCombine on @nflnetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/kAeJbRyS0K— NFL (@NFL) March 2, 2024
NFL Network overlaid video of the two McCaffreys’ runs seven years apart, proving that Luke had indeed edged Christian by a hundredth of a second—4.47 to 4.48.
Christian was quick to congratulate his brother.
@mccaffrey_luke Have a day!!❄️❄️❄️
— Christian McCaffrey (@CMC_22) March 2, 2024
Speed runs in the family, given that all four of former NFL wide receiver Ed McCaffrey’s sons—Christian, Luke, Miami Dolphins offensive assistant Max, and former Michigan quarterback Dylan—played skill positions at the FBS level.