GJ Kinne explains why he's so excited for Jordan McCloud at Texas State

Texas State will have a fresh face behind center this season and head coach GJ Kinne couldn’t be more excited. In a conversation with On3’s Andy Staples, Kinne raved about the program’s addition of transfer quarterback Jordan McCloud.

“Jordan is awesome,” Kinne said. “From the time he’s been here, he’s a true pro. He came in late February, early March, and really learned the offense really fast. I think now his personality is showing a little bit throughout the summer as he’s getting more comfortable.

“He throws with great anticipation. He’s a great leader. He’s won a ton of football games in this conference and has a ton of confidence. He’s just a very confident quarterback, and rightfully so. He’s the reigning Player of the Year in the conference, and that comes with a lot of respect.”

McCloud threw for 3,657 yards and scored 43 total touchdowns in his lone season with the Dukes. The 6-foot QB also made stops at South Florida and Arizona before transferring to James Madison ahead of the 2023 campaign.

McCloud played high school football at Plant High School in Tampa (FL), where he was a three-star prospect. He was the No. 1,710 overall recruit in the 2018 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

However, according to On3’s Transfer Portal Player Rankings, McCloud was a four-star college player and the No. 19 quarterback available in the portal this offseason.

McCloud spent the first three seasons of his college career at USF, appearing in 20 games with 17 starts. While with the Bulls, he threw for 2,270 yards, 12 touchdowns and eight interceptions while tallying 283 rushing yards and four scores on the ground.

At Arizona, McCloud made just three game appearances with two starts in two years, throwing for 481 yards, two touchdowns and five interceptions. In turn, McCloud took his talents to JMU

After losing the starting quarterback job coming out of fall camp, McCloud took the reins of JMU’s offense in the first half of their opener against Bucknell and never looked back, leading the Dukes to an 11-2 record and their first-ever bowl appearance.

Kinne has high hopes Jordan McCloud can bring similar success to Texas State.

“He’s played in some of these big-time Sun Belt games and he’s won big-time road games,” Kinne said. “That, in itself, is invaluable. Then, just his experience running a team, being the leader of an offense — he’s been awesome so far, and he’s gonna continue to grow and our offense and continue to grow as a quarterback.”