It seemed like a fantasy when the rumors were swirling that Kyle McCord, the quarter at Ohio State, would transfer to Syracuse. Those two programs do not usually get mentioned in the same sentence, and we haven’t heard from McCord about his decision… until now. He appeared on The QB Room Podcast and had a lot to say about everything that has gone on recently.
“At the end of the day, Ohio State had to make a business decision that they felt was best for them, and I had to do the same thing,” McCord said. “And unfortunately it just wasn’t meant to be for next year. But at the end of the day, I felt like I put together some solid games, had some good tape, so I was confident when I went in the portal, I would find a good home.”
In terms of what Syracuse pitched to the New Jersey native, it seems pretty lofty, but that is the mentality that Fran Brown and his staff are taking when it comes to recruiting. They will have to prove it on the field come September, but right now, it’s all about connections and knowing each other.
“I’ve known Fran Brown since I was in middle school,” McCord said. “I played football in South Jersey. He’s a South Jersey guy. He told me, when I was in 7th grade, ‘You’re going to be special, man, wherever I am I want to be your coach.’ … Once I got in the portal he was the first one to get in touch with me, early in the morning calling me.”
Winning a lot of games is something that does not often happen at Syracuse, and aside from 2018’s 10-win season, the Orange have not won 8 games since doing it twice in three years in 2010 and 2012, and before that 2001. It was 17 years between 10-win seasons. That’s a lot different than the Buckeyes. But, with the playoff expanding. Brown’s pitch is on the mind of that.
“There’s a realistic chance if we win some games and do what we should do in my eyes, we’ll have a chance to compete at the end of the season in the 12-team playoff,” McCord said. “That was a big factor in the decision. You don’t have to choose one of the top handful of schools to have an opportunity in the playoffs at the end of the year. You can go to one of the smaller Power-Five schools and, if you win some games, you’ll be in contention.”
The schedule is definitely favorable, with no Clemson, Florida State, or North Carolina, and no current test in the non-conference. The Orange have been very active in bringing guys in from all over the country, whether it be Fadil Diggs from Texas A&M, bringing Duce Chestnut back from LSU, and more, but the common theme is New Jersey, where all of these guys and McCord is from, just like Brown.
“They said that with the guys they’re going to bring in and some of the guys they’re bringing back, we’re going to be able to make a serious run at it,” McCord said, on the podcast. “Their recruiting pitch was, ‘Listen, we’re a quarterback away from being a serious contender in the ACC this year.’ I looked at the schedule and I saw it and I think it’s true. There’s definitely an opportunity for us to go out and win some games.”
