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Kyle McCord is leaving Ohio State. Almost as soon as Ryan Day discovered that the Ohio State Buckeyes weren't going to the College Football Playoff, the coach decided to force his first-year starter into the transfer portal. Some might find that surprising, as the Buckeyes went 11-1 and were only prevented from attending the Big Ten championship game by a defeat in Week 12 against Michigan.
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However, this is Day's third consecutive loss in the rivalry game. The coach was under pressure to do something to change his team's path or his job could be on the line.
McCord threw for 3,170 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions in 2023. His 83.7 QBR ranked eighth nationally among signal-callers. He completed 229 passes in 348 attempts (65.8%) and averaged 9.1 yards per pass. However, he ran for minus-65 yards.
He had victories over two top 10 opponents: in Week 4 over then-No. 9 Notre Dame and in Week 7 over then-No. 6 Penn State.
Why is Kyle McCord leaving Ohio State?
It seems evident that Ryan Day is doubling down in chasing the Big Ten championship and a CFP run next year. It would appear that he doesn't think that McCord can give him what's necessary to compete at that level, and with names like Cam Ward, Dillon Gabriel and Riley Leonard in the transfer portal, he thinks he can find better options.
Where is Kyle McCord going?
There is a set of teams looking for a quarterback with theirs leaving: Louisville, Oregon, Washington, North Carolina, USC, and Notre Dame.
Other schools have quarterbacks, but they do not have the trust of the coach or are leaving for the transfer portal. That's the case of Miami with Tyler Van Dyke, Duke with Riley Leonard and Mississippi State with Will Rogers, who are all leaving for other schools. Auburn has Payton Thorne, but he doesn't seem like a long-term solution for the Tigers.
McCord could stay in the Big Ten, going to the Western division to Iowa, a team that has Cade McNamara but needs to revolutionize an offense that looked dead this year.
Who recruited Kyle McCord?
Ryan Day recruited Kyle McCord as a four-star prospect out of St. Joseph's Prep School in Philadelphia. McCord teamed up there with Marvin Harrison Jr. to win three state championships.
He set a state record by throwing for 2,883 yards in his sophomore year.
