Ryan Day on Kyle McCord's early Syracuse success: 'It looks like he's doing a great job'

Ohio State’s 2024 starting quarterback, Will Howard, transferred into the program. Ohio State’s 2023 starting quarterback, Kyle McCord, transferred out of the program.

Both are off to impressive starts this season.

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Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day was asked Tuesday about McCord’s early success at Syracuse.

“I’ve only seen a few highlights, and it looks like he’s doing a great job,” Day said. “It looks like the first couple games, he’s gotten a good rhythm and got a great win this past weekend.

“And so, you know, happy to see him doing well so far this season.”

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McCord entered the portal following his only loss as Ohio State’s starting quarterback, a heartbreaking 30-24 defeat to eventual national champion Michigan. He threw two picks in that top-three showdown, including a game-ender that halted a potential game-winning drive in the final minute of play.

That said, McCord posted a 12-1 record as the Buckeyes’ starter, even picking up a win as a true freshman when he filled in for an injured C.J. Stroud against Akron in 2021.

Last season, McCord registered a 24:6 touchdown-to-interception ratio while piling up 3,170 passing yards and completing 65.8% of his attempts. He capitalized on having his former St. Joe’s Prep teammate, Marvin Harrison Jr., at wide receiver. Harrison was McCord’s go-to target and wound up both winning the Biletnikoff Award and becoming a Heisman Trophy finalist.

But after the loss to Michigan, Day was noncommittal about whether McCord would remain Ohio State’s starting quarterback. The Buckeyes, after all, failed to beat Michigan, win the Big Ten and make the College Football Playoff. Plus, they uncharacteristically averaged only 30.5 points per game, by far their fewest since Day joined the program in 2017.

McCord hit the portal and ultimately transferred to Syracuse, where he’s hit the ground running with first-year head coach Fran Brown.

McCord has thrown for four touchdowns in each of the Orange’s two wins this season, a 38-22 victory over Ohio and a 31-28 triumph against then-No. 23 Georgia Tech. He’s completing 69.4% of his passes, and he’s coming off a career-high 381-yard performance versus the Yellow Jackets, during which he was already flirting with a 300-yard day by intermission.

Day reflected on how different it is these days to see his former players elsewhere on Saturdays, even referencing one-time Buckeyes quarterback Quinn Ewers leading now-No. 2 Texas to a win at Michigan last weekend.

“Quinn had a great win, obviously, this past weekend, and obviously we’ve had our great quarterbacks here as well, but it’s the way of the world,” Day said. “And I think that’s one of the reasons in recruiting that we sell that to guys too, is that when you come to Ohio State, you’re going to get developed at a high level at every position.

“But at quarterback, I take a lot of pride in that, in the fact that we develop guys at a high level, and that even if you were to leave — we don’t want you to leave, but even if you were to leave, it’s still time well spent and invested. And so you’re happy when guys go on and do well, even though you want to retain as many guys you can. That’s our whole culture, but it’s just the way of the world.”

Day went on: “So, happy to see Kyle do well. He won some great games here and poured a lot of effort into the program.”

Day also shouted out former Ohio State tight end Joe Royer Tuesday. After spending four years with the Buckeyes, Royer transferred to Cincinnati this offseason and has already recorded eight catches for 138 yards and a touchdown in two games with the Bearcats.

“We follow those guys and want to support them,” Day said.