SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC NEWS) — Kyle McCord has been a winner his entire football career. From a state champion in high school to a starting quarterback at Ohio State, McCord is in the midst of a new chapter in his football journey.
The former starter with the Buckeyes transferred to Syracuse to help the rejuvenated Orange program. McCord had pre-existing relationships with multiple players and coaches who had South New Jersey ties before stepping foot on campus. New head coach Fran Brown has known McCord since he was in sixth grade playing youth football with current teammates, Alijah Clark, Fadil Diggs, and Duce Chesnut.
When McCord enter the portal in early December, Brown didn’t waste any time in getting the former five-star quarterback to Central New York.
“My favorite Coach [Fran] Brown story, I don’t know if you have heard this story, but he called me around noon the day everyone found out I would be transferring,” McCord said. “He said that he was coming to see me in Columbus, but I didn’t know that he was taking a private plane from Syracuse, I just thought he was in the area. That’s when I knew I was making the right decision.”
Since McCord has arrived in January, he says has been impressed with the program’s willingness to compete. It didn’t matter if players were four-year veterans or it was their first year in the program, everyone has been bought in. The cohesiveness of the group has only continued to improve, which makes McCord feel confident about the upcoming season.
“I think the sky is the limit. I told Coach Fran it’s a unique situation. Usually when a new head coach comes in, a lot of the older guys either go to the NFL or go to a different school for a fresh start. That’s not the case here. I think all of the best players came back and then we went to the portal and got some really good players with experience. We’re not at a point where I’m going to say I want to win a certain amount of games, it’s just important to focus on the moment now. There’s not a team on the schedule that we can’t beat, but it’s all about the preparation.”
McCord and the rest of the Orange start their season on Aug. 31 against the Ohio Bobcats with kickoff at 3:30 p.m.