Kyle McCord settled in for 'marathon,' long-term future at Ohio State
COLUMBUS — The succession plan is laid out clearly in front of Kyle McCord.
Even if it wasn’t, the second-year Ohio State quarterback wasn’t going to rush to any decisions about his future.
One way or another, McCord was always going to have to compete to take over one of the most prestigious, pressure-packed jobs in all of college football. He knew that from the moment he signed with the Buckeyes, and that obviously hasn’t changed with a Heisman Trophy finalist ahead of him on the depth chart and another five-star recruit now behind him in his second spring camp with the program.
Kyle McCord had no intentions of running from that challenge in the offseason, and it’s clear that approach is paying off for him with an impressive spring camp as the backup and likely heir apparent when C.J. Stroud is gone next year.
“I think it’s definitely a marathon, not a sprint,” McCord said after practice on Wednesday at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. “Looking at it from the bigger picture, I think coming here you realize how well you’re coached — and that was really important to me. And on top of that, I feel like just being here that I learned a lot. I know that a lot of people thought I could have left and went somewhere else and tried to start this year. But in the longterm, I thought it was the best decision for me to stay here and continue to get developed.
“During the season, I was just focused on the season. And then I just let everything work itself out. I was never really thinking about it, but I know a lot of people were trying to put words in my mouth.”
A pair of touted Ohio State quarterbacks did speak up about about wanting to leave the program, and both Quinn Ewers and Jack Miller moved on in the offseason. Those departures certainly made it easier for everybody involved to forecast the future of the position for the Buckeyes, and McCord acknowledged there is some level of comfort and confidence that comes from that clarity.
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But McCord was already ahead of both of those guys last year anyway, earning a spot start in September when Stroud was dealing with an injured shoulder and remaining the top backup all season long while only a true freshman. And while there is plenty to like about the tools Devin Brown has brought to the Buckeyes as an early enrollee, what McCord accomplished in his debut campaign is definitely significant as he continues to build on it in Year Two.
“It’s ridiculous — I was talking to Marvin about it right before the first spring practice,” McCord joked. “This time last year, you’re stressing. You hope you remember the plays. When you go out there, you don’t know what to expect. Then a year later, you’re more relaxed, confident. So, it means the world.
” … When those two guys made their decisions to leave, I definitely think it kind of cleared up everything. when you look at the longterm picture, I guess you could say it cleared things up. But there’s still a long way to go from now until next year, and I’m just focused on the present.”
It’s still relatively early in the race for Kyle McCord at Ohio State.
But the fact that he’s measuring it in miles allows both him and the Buckeyes to start peering a little further into the future at quarterback.
