2017 Football Roster
McCartney, Derek
vs
Wyoming
Sep 20 (Sat)
8:15 p.m.
Jersey Number 95
Derek McCartney
- Position:
- Outside Linebacker
- Height:
- 6-3
- Weight:
- 240
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Westminster, Colo.
- High School:
- Faith Christian
Bio
AT COLORADO: Career—He played in 38 career games with 36 starts, finishing tied for 16th all-time at Colorado with 14½ career quarterback sacks … Made 167 tackles (118 solo), which ranked him 104th on that list … Also was in on 23 career tackles for loss (for 83 yards).
2017 (Sr.)—He earned the team’s Eddie Crowder Award for outstanding leadership (presented by the coaching staff at the senior banquet) … Fully returned from an ACL tear in the third game of his junior season to start all 12 games and played his best football of the season down the stretch … He finished with 57 tackles on the season (42 over the last six games) … In for 664 snaps from scrimmage, he also had seven tackles for loss (including five sacks), two tackles for zero gains, nine third down stops, five hurries, five pass breakups and two touchdown saves … He recorded a career-high 14 tackles (12 solo including a sack), with three third down stops, one tackle for no gain (the sack) and three pass breakups at Arizona State in playing a season-high 78 snaps … Not only were the three pass breakups a career single-game high, going into the game he only had five pass breakups in his first 35 career games (and had two of those the previous week against Cal)… At Utah, in the final game of his career, he had 11 tackles (eight solo, two for losses with a sack) … In his first game back from the injury, he racked up six tackles and a quarterback hurry against Colorado State in the season opener … He was voted one of six team captains by his teammates and became one of 10 players in school history to serve as captain twice ... Missed spring drills as he was still rehabilitating his knee injury from the prior season, but was cleared post-spring ball to workout with the team in its five-week strength and conditioning period to end the semester …. He was one of 20 finalists for the inaugural Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award … Selected as one of 42 players for the Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List (character & performance/defensive player) … Was also CU’s nominee for the Wuerffel Trophy honoring athletic, academic and community achievement (one of 109 players on the official watch list) … In the preseason, Phil Steele’s College Football ranked him at No. 55 on its list of the nation’s top outside linebackers.
2016 (Jr.)—He was named to the 2016 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, one of just 12 Division I players honored; the 25th annual team is perhaps the most coveted off-the-field honors in the sport, as it recognizes and celebrates those who dedicate their time to bettering the community and the lives of others … He attended the Allstate Sugar Bowl in January to be honored with the other members of the AFCA Good Works Team at halftime of the game … He is the fifth Buffalo to be honored on the team; Derek West made the inaugural one in 1992, followed by Robbie Robinson (2001), George Hypolite (2007) and Brian Lockridge (2011) … Started two of the first three games of the season before suffering a season-ending knee injury in the first half at No. 4 Michigan … Before exiting the Michigan game with the injury he returned a fumble 18 yards for a touchdown that gave CU a 14-0 lead less than five minutes into the game … On the season he recorded three tackles, one of which went for a loss, one third-down stop and one quarterback chasedown … Both Athlon Sports and Phil Steele’s College Football selected him as a third-team preseason All-Pac-12 choice at linebacker.
2015 (Soph.)—He played in 12 games, including 10 starts, as he missed the Nicholls State game with a slight knee sprain … Was in for 670 snaps from scrimmage and racked up 70 tackles (47 solo, 10 of which were for losses including five quarterback sacks); he had five tackles for zero, giving him 15 stops at or behind the line of scrimmage … Had a team-high 16 quarterback hurries, eight third down stops, two chasedowns (near-sacks), a forced fumble, a touchdown save and a pass broken up … In the opener at Hawaii, he made his first career interception, returning it 33 yards that would set up CU’s first score of the year … The coaches named him the recipient of the Defensive Trench Award, recognizing his play up front … Had a career/season-high 10 tackles (five solo) against Colorado State, against whom he played all 88 snaps; he also had nine tackles at Utah, eight against Southern California and six or more in seven games … He was one of 12 players on CU’s leadership council, which essentially served as team captains.
2014 (Fr.-RS)—He enjoyed a fine “rookie” season after not playing organized football for two years; he started all 12 games at left defense end and played 457 snaps from scrimmage … Had 34 tackles on the year, 23 solo that included six for losses and four others for zero gains, giving him 10 at or behind the line of scrimmage … Was in on four-and-a-half quarterback sacks, tied for the second-most sacks by a freshman (true or redshirt) in school history … Also had six hurries, four third down stops, two passes broken up, two forced fumbles, one recovery, one touchdown save and one chase down (near sack) … Posted a season-high five tackles in the finale against Utah (four solo), with four tackles in three other games and three on three occasions … Earned honorable mention Freshman All-American honors from collegesportsmadness.com, he shared the team’s Lee Willard Award as the most outstanding freshman on defense and was also a finalist for the CU Male Freshman of the Year Award (for all sports) … He won the Dan Stavely Award as selected by the coaching staff for being the most improved defensive lineman in spring practices, when he had 12 tackles, five for losses including four quarterback sacks, in the four main scrimmages.
2013 (Fr.)—Redshirted; did not see any action … He won the team’s award as the Defensive Scout Player of the Year for his efforts on the scout team … Ended spring practices tied for second at the right defensive end position; he had seven tackles in the main scrimmages … He was awarded the Jim Hansen Award for outstanding academics, selected by the coaching staff after spring ball … Joined the program in January for the 2013 spring semester; he signed in the 2012 recruiting class but grayshirted … Weighed 215 on signing day, but bulked up to just over 230 by the time he reported to campus.
HIGH SCHOOL—He earned first-team 2A All-State (Denver Post) and All-Flatirons League honors his sophomore through senior seasons as a starter for Faith Christian … Played both defensive end and tight end for the Eagles, compiling 132 tackles and 30 quarterback sacks on defense, and 15 catches for 187 yards and a touchdown in his career … As a senior, he had 62 tackles (42 solo), 16 sacks, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and two pass deflections, in addition to blocking both a punt and a field goal … On offense, he had eight catches for 53 yards … His top games as a senior came in a 35-7 win against Platte Valley (11 tackles, three sacks, blocked punt) and a 23-13 loss to Kent Denver (eight tackles, three sacks) … In his junior season, he tallied 40 tackles (23 solo), including six sacks and four forced fumbles on defense, while also catching five balls for 47 yards and a touchdown at tight end .. As a sophomore, he had 30 tackles with eight sacks and two fumble recoveries, also intercepting three passes on defense ... Offensively, he had two receptions for 87 yards … In his four years as a letterman, Faith Christian went 44-7 under coach Blair Hubbard, winning the Flatirons League all four seasons; included in that mark was a 14-0 record and a state championship his sophomore season … Also lettered in basketball (forward/center), earning second-team 2A All-State honors as a junior and helping the Eagles to a No. 1 ranking as a senior, when he was honorable mention 3A All-State (FCHS moved up one classification in basketball) … In the spring, he lettered in track (throws); as a senior, he was the state 3A champion in the discus (154-11) while placing fifth in the shot put (3A, with a throw of 47-5½) ... He was second in the shot put in the (3A) state as a junior (49-10¾); he was 14th in the discus (124-3, thus he improved by over 30 feet between his junior and senior years).
ACADEMICS—He graduated in May 2016 after just three years with a degree in one of CU’s most challenging majors – Integrative Physiology – with a Pre-Med course of study at Colorado … He then enrolled in CU’s graduate program for IPHY and started taking classes in the summer of ’16; he earned his master’s degree in December ’17 … A first-team Pac-12 All-Academic Team member as a senior (honorable mention as a redshirt freshman) … Earned first-team Academic All-Colorado honors as a junior and senior from the state’s chapter of National Football Foundation (and was CU’s nominee for the chapter’s Scholar Athlete of the Year both times) … Was presented with the 2015 Clancy A. Herbst Student-Athlete Achievement Award, which is presented to those athletes who have overcome personal, academic or emotional challenges … In the spring of his fourth year at CU (2017), he was inducted into CU’s 4.0 club after earning that perfect grade point in the previous semester.
PERSONAL—He was born Nov. 22, 1993, in Chicago, Ill. … His grandfather is the legendary Bill McCartney, the all-time winningest football coach in Colorado history and member of the College Football Hall of Fame … His father is former CU and Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Shannon Clavelle … His older brother, T.C. McCartney, played football at LSU and was a graduate assistant with the Buffs for two years (2012-13); he is now in quality control with the Cleveland Browns … Hobbies include reading and hanging out with friends in his free time … In the 2016 offseason, he made national headlines after being matched with a recipient for a bone marrow donation; it came about thanks to CU’s “Be A Match” program that coach Mike MacIntyre started after his first year in Boulder.
2017 (Sr.)—He earned the team’s Eddie Crowder Award for outstanding leadership (presented by the coaching staff at the senior banquet) … Fully returned from an ACL tear in the third game of his junior season to start all 12 games and played his best football of the season down the stretch … He finished with 57 tackles on the season (42 over the last six games) … In for 664 snaps from scrimmage, he also had seven tackles for loss (including five sacks), two tackles for zero gains, nine third down stops, five hurries, five pass breakups and two touchdown saves … He recorded a career-high 14 tackles (12 solo including a sack), with three third down stops, one tackle for no gain (the sack) and three pass breakups at Arizona State in playing a season-high 78 snaps … Not only were the three pass breakups a career single-game high, going into the game he only had five pass breakups in his first 35 career games (and had two of those the previous week against Cal)… At Utah, in the final game of his career, he had 11 tackles (eight solo, two for losses with a sack) … In his first game back from the injury, he racked up six tackles and a quarterback hurry against Colorado State in the season opener … He was voted one of six team captains by his teammates and became one of 10 players in school history to serve as captain twice ... Missed spring drills as he was still rehabilitating his knee injury from the prior season, but was cleared post-spring ball to workout with the team in its five-week strength and conditioning period to end the semester …. He was one of 20 finalists for the inaugural Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award … Selected as one of 42 players for the Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List (character & performance/defensive player) … Was also CU’s nominee for the Wuerffel Trophy honoring athletic, academic and community achievement (one of 109 players on the official watch list) … In the preseason, Phil Steele’s College Football ranked him at No. 55 on its list of the nation’s top outside linebackers.
2016 (Jr.)—He was named to the 2016 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, one of just 12 Division I players honored; the 25th annual team is perhaps the most coveted off-the-field honors in the sport, as it recognizes and celebrates those who dedicate their time to bettering the community and the lives of others … He attended the Allstate Sugar Bowl in January to be honored with the other members of the AFCA Good Works Team at halftime of the game … He is the fifth Buffalo to be honored on the team; Derek West made the inaugural one in 1992, followed by Robbie Robinson (2001), George Hypolite (2007) and Brian Lockridge (2011) … Started two of the first three games of the season before suffering a season-ending knee injury in the first half at No. 4 Michigan … Before exiting the Michigan game with the injury he returned a fumble 18 yards for a touchdown that gave CU a 14-0 lead less than five minutes into the game … On the season he recorded three tackles, one of which went for a loss, one third-down stop and one quarterback chasedown … Both Athlon Sports and Phil Steele’s College Football selected him as a third-team preseason All-Pac-12 choice at linebacker.
2015 (Soph.)—He played in 12 games, including 10 starts, as he missed the Nicholls State game with a slight knee sprain … Was in for 670 snaps from scrimmage and racked up 70 tackles (47 solo, 10 of which were for losses including five quarterback sacks); he had five tackles for zero, giving him 15 stops at or behind the line of scrimmage … Had a team-high 16 quarterback hurries, eight third down stops, two chasedowns (near-sacks), a forced fumble, a touchdown save and a pass broken up … In the opener at Hawaii, he made his first career interception, returning it 33 yards that would set up CU’s first score of the year … The coaches named him the recipient of the Defensive Trench Award, recognizing his play up front … Had a career/season-high 10 tackles (five solo) against Colorado State, against whom he played all 88 snaps; he also had nine tackles at Utah, eight against Southern California and six or more in seven games … He was one of 12 players on CU’s leadership council, which essentially served as team captains.
2014 (Fr.-RS)—He enjoyed a fine “rookie” season after not playing organized football for two years; he started all 12 games at left defense end and played 457 snaps from scrimmage … Had 34 tackles on the year, 23 solo that included six for losses and four others for zero gains, giving him 10 at or behind the line of scrimmage … Was in on four-and-a-half quarterback sacks, tied for the second-most sacks by a freshman (true or redshirt) in school history … Also had six hurries, four third down stops, two passes broken up, two forced fumbles, one recovery, one touchdown save and one chase down (near sack) … Posted a season-high five tackles in the finale against Utah (four solo), with four tackles in three other games and three on three occasions … Earned honorable mention Freshman All-American honors from collegesportsmadness.com, he shared the team’s Lee Willard Award as the most outstanding freshman on defense and was also a finalist for the CU Male Freshman of the Year Award (for all sports) … He won the Dan Stavely Award as selected by the coaching staff for being the most improved defensive lineman in spring practices, when he had 12 tackles, five for losses including four quarterback sacks, in the four main scrimmages.
2013 (Fr.)—Redshirted; did not see any action … He won the team’s award as the Defensive Scout Player of the Year for his efforts on the scout team … Ended spring practices tied for second at the right defensive end position; he had seven tackles in the main scrimmages … He was awarded the Jim Hansen Award for outstanding academics, selected by the coaching staff after spring ball … Joined the program in January for the 2013 spring semester; he signed in the 2012 recruiting class but grayshirted … Weighed 215 on signing day, but bulked up to just over 230 by the time he reported to campus.
HIGH SCHOOL—He earned first-team 2A All-State (Denver Post) and All-Flatirons League honors his sophomore through senior seasons as a starter for Faith Christian … Played both defensive end and tight end for the Eagles, compiling 132 tackles and 30 quarterback sacks on defense, and 15 catches for 187 yards and a touchdown in his career … As a senior, he had 62 tackles (42 solo), 16 sacks, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and two pass deflections, in addition to blocking both a punt and a field goal … On offense, he had eight catches for 53 yards … His top games as a senior came in a 35-7 win against Platte Valley (11 tackles, three sacks, blocked punt) and a 23-13 loss to Kent Denver (eight tackles, three sacks) … In his junior season, he tallied 40 tackles (23 solo), including six sacks and four forced fumbles on defense, while also catching five balls for 47 yards and a touchdown at tight end .. As a sophomore, he had 30 tackles with eight sacks and two fumble recoveries, also intercepting three passes on defense ... Offensively, he had two receptions for 87 yards … In his four years as a letterman, Faith Christian went 44-7 under coach Blair Hubbard, winning the Flatirons League all four seasons; included in that mark was a 14-0 record and a state championship his sophomore season … Also lettered in basketball (forward/center), earning second-team 2A All-State honors as a junior and helping the Eagles to a No. 1 ranking as a senior, when he was honorable mention 3A All-State (FCHS moved up one classification in basketball) … In the spring, he lettered in track (throws); as a senior, he was the state 3A champion in the discus (154-11) while placing fifth in the shot put (3A, with a throw of 47-5½) ... He was second in the shot put in the (3A) state as a junior (49-10¾); he was 14th in the discus (124-3, thus he improved by over 30 feet between his junior and senior years).
ACADEMICS—He graduated in May 2016 after just three years with a degree in one of CU’s most challenging majors – Integrative Physiology – with a Pre-Med course of study at Colorado … He then enrolled in CU’s graduate program for IPHY and started taking classes in the summer of ’16; he earned his master’s degree in December ’17 … A first-team Pac-12 All-Academic Team member as a senior (honorable mention as a redshirt freshman) … Earned first-team Academic All-Colorado honors as a junior and senior from the state’s chapter of National Football Foundation (and was CU’s nominee for the chapter’s Scholar Athlete of the Year both times) … Was presented with the 2015 Clancy A. Herbst Student-Athlete Achievement Award, which is presented to those athletes who have overcome personal, academic or emotional challenges … In the spring of his fourth year at CU (2017), he was inducted into CU’s 4.0 club after earning that perfect grade point in the previous semester.
PERSONAL—He was born Nov. 22, 1993, in Chicago, Ill. … His grandfather is the legendary Bill McCartney, the all-time winningest football coach in Colorado history and member of the College Football Hall of Fame … His father is former CU and Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Shannon Clavelle … His older brother, T.C. McCartney, played football at LSU and was a graduate assistant with the Buffs for two years (2012-13); he is now in quality control with the Cleveland Browns … Hobbies include reading and hanging out with friends in his free time … In the 2016 offseason, he made national headlines after being matched with a recipient for a bone marrow donation; it came about thanks to CU’s “Be A Match” program that coach Mike MacIntyre started after his first year in Boulder.
Colorado vs Delaware | Week 2 Highlights
Wednesday, September 10
Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders Weekly Press Conference
Wednesday, September 10
Colorado Football Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, September 07
Mark Johnson & Gary Barnett break down the win vs Delaware | The Buffalo Stampede: Colorado Football
Sunday, September 07