Kyle McCord reflects on time at Ohio State: ‘I’ll be cheering them on’

Kyle McCord didn’t have his time at Ohio State end the way he hoped it would, but he still enjoyed his three years being a Buckeye.

McCord opened up about his time in Columbus recently at the ACC Football Kickoff event. The former five-star recruit is set to be the starting quarterback for Syracuse this fall.

“Obviously not the way I imagined it ending, losing that last game on the last drive,” Kyle McCord said. “You work so hard to get to that point and then just to fall short, it hurts. But I’m thankful for it more than anything. Being able to play quarterback there is an honor.”

Kyle McCord spent three years at Ohio State before transferring to Syracuse this spring. He appeared in 24 games, with 13 starts and was the starting QB for the Buckeyes throughout last season.

The third-team All-Big Ten selection threw for more than 3,100 yards in 2023, but the Buckeyes lost to Michigan, which kept them out of the Big Ten Championship game and College Football Playoff.

Even though he is gone now, McCord still has plenty of friends on the Ohio State team. He will be rooting for them to have success this fall.

“Obviously a legendary program with a lot of great tradition. I think the lessons that I learned there will follow me through the rest of my career and help me out in the long run,” McCord said. “I mean I’ve still got a lot of friends on the team, so I’ll be cheering them on, hoping they do well.”

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 Kyle 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.

“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. 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.”