His classmates included Mark English, considered by Jerry Kiernan to be the country's "greatest talent" ever in middle-distance running.

[3] English issued a challenge to McCaffrey, himself considered football's fastest player, to take him on over 100 metres.

[15] In November 2015, McCaffrey received the highest individual honour in the sport when he was named as GAA/GPA Footballer of the Year.

[16] He did so in spite of contracting food poisoning "in around the Thursday" before the 2015 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, which left him unable to finish the game.

[1] McCaffrey missed the 2016 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship due his travels abroad.

[18] McCaffrey played in that year's All-Ireland final win but left the pitch early after sustaining what later proved to be an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

[1] His antics later in the evening as Michael Lyster interviewed Jim Gavin and Stephen Cluxton were much remarked upon.

He is a former self-admitted "horrific tackler" but the 2018 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final proved to be when he "figured out I'm actually a defender as opposed to some loose attacking player".

[21] He later described the drawn 2019 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final as the game that "broke me" but decided initially to remain when his former minor and under-21 manager Dessie Farrell was appointed as Jim Gavin's successor.