He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners, earning consensus All-American honors.

McCoy received numerous awards including 2005 National Defensive Player of the Year by USA Today.

In track & field, McCoy was one of the state's top performers in the shot put (top-throw of 16.90 meters).

[7][8] Recruited by virtually every major school in the country, McCoy took official visits to Notre Dame, Southern California, Virginia Tech, Louisiana State, and Miami (FL), before committing to his home-state Sooners on National Signing Day.

[12] In his sophomore season, McCoy led all of Oklahoma's interior defensive linemen with 30 tackles and was second on the team with 6.5 sacks.

He also had career-high two sacks against Texas and his first career interception came in the BCS title game against Florida.

After the season, he was named Sporting News First-team All-American, AP Second-team All- American and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.

[13] Despite having been considered one of the top prospects for the 2009 NFL draft, McCoy chose to return to Oklahoma for his junior season.

[17] McCoy was the only non-senior on a list that also included Terrence Cody, Jerry Hughes, and Ndamukong Suh.

At the University of Oklahoma, McCoy was a two-time team captain that started all 40 games during his career (2007– 09), playing the three-technique right defensive tackle position.

The Buccaneers won the game 17–14, thanks in large part to a great defensive performance that saw McCoy make three tackles while forcing a fumble.

[27] McCoy also became just the fifth defensive rookie to start for the Buccaneers on opening day since 1995 when Warren Sapp played against the Philadelphia Eagles in a 21–6 victory.

His first multi-sack game came a week later, on November 28, 2010, when he sacked quarterback Joe Flacco of the Baltimore Ravens twice.

On December 12, 2010, McCoy suffered a torn left biceps, causing the team to place him on IR two days later.

The Bucs finished their struggling 2011 season on a 10-game losing streak which led to the firing of head coach Raheem Morris.

McCoy bounced back in 2012, having a significant impact on the Bucs' top-ranked rushing defense and earning his first Pro Bowl berth in his first season un-marred by injury.

Receiver Vincent Jackson and running back Doug Martin were named alternates for the Pro Bowl, joining their teammate McCoy.

[35] McCoy began the 2013 season in good form, registering 2 sacks and a fumble recovery by Week 4.

He recorded 5 tackles including 2 for a loss, and also sacked Miami Quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

After continuing his strong play and being a stand out leader of the Bucs defense McCoy and Tampa Bay were working on a new deal.

[41] Despite dealing with hand and shoulder ailments throughout the season McCoy was still able to produce 34 combined tackles and 8.5 sacks which resulted in his fourth consecutive selection to the Pro Bowl.

[54] In week 6 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, McCoy sacked former teammate Jameis Winston 2.5 times in the 37–26 win.