To me, the McCord/Howard NFL draft debate is proof that the transfer portal works.
McCord certainly has a live arm and features of a passer that were very attractive to Day including a natural deep ball and good velocity on throws. Unfortunately, Kyle had terrible leadership, low energy, awful pocket awareness, zero mobility, risk-averse decision-making on timing routes, and maddening inconsistency in the short-to-intermediate passing game. The harsh lights of Ohio Stadium and criticism of our rabid fanbase was clearly more pressure than the kid could handle, and the more miserable he got under scrutiny, the worse he performed. Regardless of his personal stat line, he walked into the postgame conference looking defensive and cowed. His overall level of play was fine, but he wilted in the biggest moments. He needed less on his plate.
He went to Syracuse where the lower level of competition and chiller expectations allowed him to play fast and loose, while having fun. While he put some dazzling numbers in total air yardage, this was due entirely to Fran Brown having him throw the ball 40+ times a game. His completion % was identical to last season (66%) and he threw twice as many interceptions as he did in 2023. His passer rating actually went down from 162 to 148. And he finished the year with -65 rushing yards. And while we roasted Howard for his 2 INT game against scUM, McCord had three games with multiple interceptions, including his 5 INT (3 pick-6) dumpster fire against Pitt. I'm pretty sure that an OSU QB who put up that many turnovers in a game would have been barred from getting on the team bus home by our fanbase. He clearly made the right choice in getting out of Columbus, and by all accounts, has been able to rehab his image with NFL scouts en route to a second day phone call. He wasn't the right guy for us, but learned a lot of things from Ryan Day and became the right guy for Syracuse. Good for him.
Meanwhile, Howard left Kansas State with the majority of the fanbase having moved on from him in favor of the next shiny new toy in Avery Johnson. The feeling (among my Kansan friends) was that while he had outstanding intangibles, he had hit the limits of his abilities as a passer and the Wildcats needed to make a change to reach the next level. They felt that he was noodle armed and struggled with the deep ball, while making questionable decisions leading to turnovers. His overall level of play was fine, but he forced things too much in the biggest moments. He was tired of working with less as an underdog while being repeatedly passed over due to a fickle fanbase too eager for "the next best thing". He was hungry for someone to give him a chance to put more on his plate.
Fast forward to January 2024, and Will was a Buckeye, where the higher level of competition and national attention allowed him to blossom and hone his craft as a passer. Contrary to McCord, Howard had unbelievable leadership, the energy of a freight train, and the slippery pocket escapability of a greased seal. He put trust in his surrounding cast, throwing fearlessly with timing and anticipation on a level we’d forgotten about since CJ Stroud. The bright lights of Ohio Stadium and demands of our rabid fanbase clearly drove him to elevate his game, and he hoped to leverage the pressure to become a diamond. Regardless of his personal stat line, he walked into the postgame conference looking like the cat that ate the canary. And what a statline he put up. No longer asked to be a human battering ram/force throws all day to a substandard skill position group, his completion rate jumped 12% to 73.1%, enshrining him as the Buckeyes’ most accurate single season and career passer ever. In four more games of action, he had the same number of INTs than his swan song at K State, and his passer rating ballooned to an eye-popping 175.3, putting him among peers in the Heisman finalist/first round draft pick range such as Cam Ward, Dillon Gabriel, and Jaxson Dart. His deep ball was still a concern at the start of the season, but by the end of the magical playoff run, it was OSU's biggest offensive weapon, punctuated with the Sportscenter-worthy 3rd and Jeremiah pass which may forever be the enduring memory many of us will have of this incredible year.
Howard clearly made the right choice in coming to Columbus, and by all accounts, has been able to rehab his image with NFL scouts en route to a second day phone call. He wasn't the right guy for Kansas State, but learned a ton of things from Ryan Day and became the right guy for the Buckeyes.
Good for him.
