Kyle McCord reveals his emotions over Ohio State winning national championship without him

Kyle McCord spent three seasons with the Ohio State Buckeyes, but he was never able to lead them to their ultimate goal of winning a national title. Ultimately, he decided to transfer to Syracuse before the 2024 season, and he was forced to watch as his former team reached the top of the mountain.

While it may have stung for McCord, his former team’s success was something that he rooted for, if you take him at his word. Speaking with the media at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, McCord revealed his emotions as it pertained to Ohio State winning the national title this past season, after he moved on from Columbus.

“It was awesome. I mean, obviously, those are my guys, so seeing them accomplish that goal was sweet, knowing how bad they worked for it,” McCord said, championing his former teammates. “Like I said, I had a great year, and they had a great year. It was just cool to see everybody win, to be honest.”

As McCord mentioned, perhaps he’s able to be happy for his former Buckeyes teammates due to the immense success he enjoyed with the Orange. He was the nation’s leading passer in 2024, and the signal-caller also broke the ACC single-season passing record this year.

Still, the decision to transfer from Ohio State wasn’t one he took lightly. It all worked out, as he passed for 4,779 yards and 34 touchdowns at Syracuse, but he pointed out the emotional toll of moving on from the Buckeyes had on him when he did in 2024.

“It wasn’t easy,” the quarterback added. “When you pour three years of blood, sweat, and tears into a program, and you know, you create a lot of great relationships there, with the players and the coaching staff and the support staff. It wasn’t an easy decision to leave.

“But, you know, I think it worked out for me, it worked out for them, and overall, I think it was the right thing to do.”

All told McCord helped Syracuse to finish with 10 wins for only the third time in the past 25 years this past season, so it certainly worked out for all parties. His return would’ve been a major boost for the Orange after they finished tied for fourth in the ACC standings following a win against Miami to close the regular season, but he’s decided to move on to the NFL, where he’ll hope to continue turning heads.