Kyle McCord is transferring to Syracuse.
The former Ohio State quarterback announced Sunday that he will join the Orange for his final season of college football.
— Kyle McCord (@kylemccord16) December 17, 2023
Despite starting all 12 of Ohio State’s regular-season games this season, McCord entered the transfer portal just hours after it opened on Dec. 4 after being informed that Ohio State would reopen the quarterback competition for the 2024 season. McCord was seeking a guaranteed opportunity to be a starter, and he should get that at Syracuse, where current starter Garrett Shrader is set to exhaust his eligibility.
McCord spoke to ESPN's Pete Thamel about his commitment:
"I have one more chance to go out and really commit myself, and going through the process, I was looking at schools where I'd have a chance of winning right away," he said. "And with the pieces going there, I'll definitely have that option."
He also briefly mentioned his time at Ohio State:
"I think the biggest thing is starting a full season there," McCord said of Ohio State. "I learned a lot and played a lot of football and played in a lot of big games. That experience is valuable experience. Being able to take that to Syracuse is going to be huge tool for me. Having that in my pocket and knowing what I need to work on now. That's huge."
He’ll be Syracuse’s first starting quarterback under new head coach Fran Brown, who became Syracuse’s coach earlier this month after two years as Georgia’s defensive backs coach.
With McCord now headed elsewhere, Devin Brown is expected to start in his place in the Cotton Bowl against Missouri and compete with Lincoln Kienholz and Air Noland for the starting quarterback job next season. While it’s possible Ohio State could bring in a transfer quarterback of its own to join that competition, the likelihood of Ohio State adding a transfer quarterback this winter appears to be decreasing as the Buckeyes have not made a major push for any of the top quarterbacks available in the portal.
McCord is the fifth Buckeye to transfer to a new school this month, joining running backs Evan Pryor (Cincinnati) and Chip Trayanum (Kentucky) and defensive backs Ryan Turner (Boston College) and Kye Stokes (Cincinnati).
Former Buckeyes still in the portal include wide receiver Julian Fleming, tight end Joe Royer, centers Victor Cutler Jr. and Jakob James, defensive end Omari Abor, linebacker Reid Carrico, cornerback Jyaire Brown, safety Cameron Martinez and kicker Parker Lewis.
