Former Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord is transferring to Syracuse, his family told 247Sports' Tom Loy, marking a splashy early recruiting victory for new Orange coach Fran Brown. McCord will have one season of eligibility remaining and should step into the starting role for Syracuse as Brown takes over after spending the last two seasons as Georgia's defensive backs coach.
McCord is originally from Mount Laurel, New Jersey, near Brown's hometown of Camden, New Jersey. He emerged as a high school star at St. Joseph's Prep in Philadelphia while Brown worked in the area as an assistant for Temple (2019) and Rutgers (2020-21), giving the two a natural connection.
Now, the Jersey natives and products of the Northeast's football scene will unite to try and spark a Syracuse program that is 24-36 over the past five seasons. McCord brings plenty of experience to the role after appearing in 24 games during three seasons with the Buckeyes.
He started all 12 regular-season games in 2023 while facing the daunting task of following in the footsteps of star Ohio State quarterbacks such as CJ Stroud, Justin Fields, Dwayne Haskins and J.T. Barrett. While McCord struggled to reach the elite standard of his predecessors, he still enjoyed a productive season.
The former four-star prospect completed 65.8% of his passes for 3,170 yards with 24 touchdowns and six interceptions while guiding the Buckeyes to an 11-1 record. He ranks as the No. 10 transfer quarterback of the cycle, according to 247Sports. That ranking puts him one spot below Dillon Gabriel, who is headed from Oklahoma to Oregon, and one spot above Will Rogers, who is headed from Mississippi State to Washington
Brown is targeting former Baylor offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon to call plays for the Orange, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel. However, that hire is not official as Nixon is currently serving as running backs coach for the New York Giants.
