Former Colorado RB among college football's longest tenured players

College football players used to be in the sport for four or five years, and then they were done. That is not the case anymore.

With waivers, extra eligibility because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and several other extenuating circumstances, players are entering the 2026 season as seven-year veterans. One of those is former Colorado Buffaloes running back Alton McCaskill, who began his college career all the way back in 2021.

McCaskill was one of several players to make The Athletic's All-Geezer team (subscription required), made up exclusively of players most college football fans might think, "that guy is still in college?"

For McCaskill, he appeared to be a breakout star after his true freshman season at Houston when he ran for 961 yards and 16 touchdowns to earn the American Conference Rookie of the Year. That was the peak of McCaskill's career. He missed the next year due to a knee injury before joining Colorado in 2023, Sanders' first season. He played in just four games for the Buffs before transferring that offseason to Arizona State and then to Sam Houston last year, where he rushed for 370 yards. McCaskill will conclude his college career this year with the Bearkats, hoping to rekindle his 2021 form.

As a Buff, McCaskill logged 14 carries for 59 yards and two receptions for 19 yards in his four games. His addition to the 2023 roster was a well-intentioned roll of the dice for Sanders' staff, which unfortunately did not work out.

Since Sanders took over as head coach, the Colorado Buffaloes have used the transfer portal to build the majority of their roster, changing the norm for college eligibility. However, surprisingly very few of those players are long-tenured college players, with CU focusing more on undergraduate transfers.

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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Former Colorado RB among college football's longest tenured players