Kyle McCord 'grateful' for time at Ohio State, what he's brought with him to Syracuse

Kyle McCord has three years of experience from his time at a big brand program like Ohio State. He now has one year left to bring with him what all he learned as a Buckeye to the Orange at Syracuse.

McCord discussed his collegiate career while in Columbus while at ACC Media Days in Charlotte on Thursday. He expressed his gratitude for his opportunity there as a reserve for two seasons before being their starting quarterback last fall.

“Truly grateful for my three years at Ohio State,” said McCord. “I got to sit behind CJ (Stroud) for two years, learned a lot from him. Then I had the opportunity to start there last year.”

McCord appeared in 24 games, including 13 starts with a dozen coming last year, for Ohio State from 2021 to 2023. In that time, he completed 66.5% of his throws for 3,776 yards, 27 touchdowns, and eight interception. Most of that came as a junior last season with him throwing for 3,170 yards, 24 scores, and six picks on 65.8% completion as the starter.

McCord then elected to enter the transfer portal upon the opening of the cycle in early December. He later committed to Syracuse two weeks later under their new head coach in Fran Brown. He did so as the No. 9 QB and No. 49 overall transfer per On3’s 2024 Transfer Portal Top Players.

Now, with a season of eligibility left, McCord wants to make the most of this chance inside the Carrier Dome. He’s going to do so by emphasizing victories and being competitive in the ACC.

“I think just the biggest thing I’ve been focusing on is the biggest thing is winning and the product that you put on the field. That’s kind of the message to the team,” said McCord. “No matter what happens at the end of the day? Like, when we go out on the field, we’re going to have to compete. We’re going to have to win. We’re going to have to be tough.”

Predicting ceiling, floor for Syracuse in 2024

Following eight seasons with Dino Babers at the helm, Syracuse will now embark on a new era under a first-year head coach in Fran Brown.

ACC Network’s Roddy Jones spoke about the Orange’s upcoming season on Monday with On3’s Andy Staples as the two broke down what the best and worst possible year could look like for Syracuse.

Ceiling: 9-3

“This was a bowl team last year with without a quarterback. Like, Garrett Shrader‘s shoulder didn’t work for the vast majority of the season to the point where they had to put Dan Villari, a tight end who played quarterback in high school, at quarterback. They struggled but they were still a bowl team despite the limitations that they had,” Jones said.

“I am high on Syracuse,” Jones added. “I think, if you look at that schedule? Like, I don’t think they’re better than NC State. I don’t think they’re better than Virginia Tech, I don’t think they’re better than Miami. But everyone else I think is a winnable game for them, including Georgia Tech, which is a bit of a toss up, but including Georgia Tech. So I look at Syracuse and I think their ceiling is 9-3.”

Floor: 6-6

Both Staples and Jones don’t see Syracuse taking any steps back despite having a different head coach. Each expressed a strong belief in Brown based on his reputation, resumé, and recruiting very early in his career.

“Fran Brown has got this infectious personality so I feel like they’re gonna play hard,” Jones said. “Will there be some bumps as a first-year head coach? Probably. But I think their ceiling is 9-3. From a floor standpoint, I still think it’s still a bowl team. They’re probably 6-6 at the floor. That’s if all the toss-ups don’t go your way.”

“Remember – Fran Brown was working for Kirby Smart at Georgia. So working on establishing a culture at Syracuse that he’s going to try to mimic a lot of what Kirby Smart does at Georgia,” said Staples. “This is going to be really interesting because Syracuse is not the easiest place in the world to recruit. But he has already gotten some people to Syracuse that you weren’t sure they would go to Syracuse. So that’s a good start and the schedule is helpful.”