In the second half of the fourth game against the University of Tulsa, he made his collegiate debut. In a 48-14 win over the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, he recorded six touchdown passes (fourth in school history). In a 42-31 loss to the University of Miami, he established an NCAA single-game freshman record by tossing the ball 72 times. McCown finished his freshman season with 710 yards passing and seven touchdowns while rushing for another three scores. He started all 12 games for the Hurricanes in 2015 and led them to a 10-2 record before falling to Florida State in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Game. The Hurricanes went on to lose that game 17-16 in overtime. McCown was named to the All-ACC First Team by both the coaches and media. After his first year at the university of South Carolina, where he played only nine games due to injury, McCown announced that he would be transferring after all. He will look for a new home as a graduate transfer this summer. McCown was ranked as the No. 3 quarterback in the country by ESPN.com and the No. 4 pocket passer in the nation by CBS Sports. He returned to school for one more season before entering the NFL draft. In 2016, McCown passed for 3,718 yards and 36 touchdowns and ran for another nine scores. He added two more touchdowns through the air vs. Alabama during the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.