VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Spurned by Ohio State, Kyle McCord Leads Syracuse to Nine-Win Season
Charlie Fellows: Well, one notable player Coach (Fran) Brown may have to use those skills to replace is his quarterback. Kyle McCord set just about every passing record in the book for the Orange this season, but his football legacy may just be getting started. Our reporter Peter Elliott has more.
Peter Elliott: For Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord, Saturday was a good day. The senior led the Orange to a thrilling upset win over number six Miami. And his former school, Ohio State, mustered just ten points in a fourth consecutive loss to rival Michigan. So, Kyle, your thoughts?
Kyle McCord: Everything comes full circle.
Elliott: Pro Football Focus analyst Max Chadwick says McCord made the right choice coming to SU.
Chadwick: He was very buttoned up at Ohio State and they told him basically, don’t screw it up, right. We have this elite defense, we have Marvin Harrison Jr., we have these great running backs, we have a great offensive line, just do not screw it up. At Syracuse, he knew, I’m the guy.
Elliott: Head coach Fran Brown says he knew that before McCord even left Columbus.
Fran Brown: I just told him, like, I needed him, to be honest. I thought Kyle was the best quarterback in the country at the time and right now he’s proving that he is the best quarterback in the country.
Elliott: In addition to being the nation’s leading passer, McCord has program school records and put himself in a position to play on Sundays.
Chadwick: Like, this guy led the nation in passing yards this year and is going to be a day three pick in the NFL Draft, and not a lot of people thought he would be a day three pick or even drafted at all.
Elliott: McCord says he doesn’t know if he’ll play in SU’s bowl game. But if this is it for his Orange career, it’s a worthy conclusion.
McCord: To get a top ten win at home in the season finale is just the cherry on top of it all.
Elliott: With McCord, the Orange are on top. For NCC News, I’m Peter Elliott.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Kyle McCord has been graceful about the situation all season.
No sour grapes, no gloating. Just the high road.
He has repeatedly declined to comment on the specifics of his transfer to Syracuse from Ohio State after head coach Ryan Day didn’t commit to a future with McCord as the starter.
He’s had every reason to gloat, as the Buckeyes’ loss has been the Orange’s gain this season. The senior has shattered SU’s school records for completions, passing yards, and touchdowns in a single season, leading the program to its best season in six years. He has thrown for more than 300 yards in all but one game.
But after leading Syracuse to a thrilling 43-38 upset victory over No. 6 Miami (FL) on Saturday, McCord was asked if he felt any extra satisfaction given that he secured a program-defining win on the same day that Ohio State mustered just ten points in a fourth consecutive loss to rival Michigan.
His four-word response said everything: “Everything comes full circle.”
Syracuse head coach Fran Brown believed in McCord’s abilities to lead a program even before he left Columbus.
“I just told him, like, I needed him, to be honest,” said Brown. “I thought Kyle was the best quarterback in the country at the time and right now he’s proving that he is the best quarterback in the country.”
McCord is the nation’s leading passer, having thrown for 4,326 yards this season, 203 more than the next quarterback, who happens to be Miami’s Cam Ward, a Heisman candidate. McCord outdueled Ward on Saturday, throwing for 380 yards to his 349, as well as another touchdown.
Like many, Pro Football Focus analyst Max Chadwick thinks that the best version has been unlocked this season.
“He was very buttoned up at Ohio State and they told him basically, don’t screw it up,” said Chadwick. “We have this elite defense, we have Marvin Harrison Jr., we have these great running backs, we have a great offensive line, just do not screw it up. At Syracuse, he knew, I’m the guy.”
McCord has taken the offense into his own hands, taking more chances with receivers Jackson Meeks, Oronde Gadsden, and Trebor Pena while employing his feet more than he did with the Buckeyes.
McCord has also elevated his NFL Draft stock with his play. Chadwick projects that he will be selected somewhere between the fourth and seventh rounds next April.
McCord has said that he doesn’t know if he’ll play in SU’s bowl game, given his professional future. But if Saturday’s game marks the end of his Orange career, it’s a worthy conclusion.