Joel Klatt reacts to Kyle McCord committing to Syracuse

One of the more surprising portal moves and decisions came a few days ago when Kyle McCord, the former quarterback of the Ohio State Buckeyes, committed to Syracuse. It’s a choice that puzzled even Joel Klatt, although he didn’t take anything away from this option by the Orange.

Klatt shared his thoughts on McCord’s decision to transfer to Syracuse during his show on Monday. He said it was a clear surprise considering where he was and where is now headed. It’s just a drop off in competition that he didn’t expect from McCord in his eventual selection.

“A bit interesting – let’s face it,” said Klatt. “You know, Syracuse, I don’t think, was on a lot of people’s bingo card, in particular because I just don’t know if Syracuse is going to be a playoff-caliber team. You would think that McCord would go from Ohio State and try to land at another team that he could elevate into, kind of, a playoff-caliber.”

After three seasons in Columbus, McCord had finally earned his shot as the starter this past fall. In those appearances, he completed 65.8% of his passes for 3,170 yards, 24 touchdowns, and six interceptions.

It took a moment for him to find his footing but, all in all, McCord’s production was enough to get Ohio State to 11-1. That means he was one game, and one interception, away from getting the Buckeyes into the Big Ten Championship and the College Football Playoff. Instead, as we all know, the Buckeyes lost in Ann Arbor and, in the weeks that have followed, he elected to move on from the program.

Now, with this commitment, McCord heads to a program in New York that has some energy to it this offseason. It starts with Fran Brown’s hire as the team’s next head coach. It has since continued with the Oranges’ early additions on his staff and in the portal.

At one point, McCord’s search in the portal was all Nebraska. However, he ends up at Syracuse and, as such, Klatt sees reason for interest from that fanbase considering the step up they just got at the quarterback position.

“We’ll see. We’ll see, though. There’s a lot of momentum,” said Klatt. “They’re all excited, as they should be.”

“I think that this is an upgrade for Syracuse – there’s no doubt,” Klatt said.

Paul Finebaum calls McCord’s commitment to Syracuse ‘utterly perplexing’

After entering the portal following the regular season, former Ohio State QB Kyle McCord recently decided to take his talents to the Big Apple by committing to Syracuse on Sunday.

McCord’s destination came as a surprise to many, including Paul Finebaum. Finebaum made an appearance on ‘SportsCenter’ on Monday and gave his brutally honest opinion on the former Buckeyes’ decision.

“I think I spoke too soon because I thought he would land at a major school. A Nebraska or somewhere else that was in play. But Syracuse is an utterly perplexing decision,” Finebaum said.

“It’s a program that, quite frankly, doesn’t have a great path of coming back quickly,” Finebaum said. “I appreciate him getting another opportunity. But, a year ago? This guy was considered all-everything, a can’t miss and now he’s going to Syracuse. It’s weird.”