Paul Finebaum calls Kyle McCord's commitment to Syracuse 'utterly perplexing'

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

McCord’s destination came as a surprise to many, including ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum. Finebaum made an appearance on ‘SportsCenter’ Monday with Shae Peppler, giving his brutally honest opinion on the former Buckeye’s decision.

“Shae 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.

Many expected McCord to stay within the Big Ten and commit to Nebraska following his visit to Lincoln with wide receiver Julian Fleming, who also entered the transfer portal following his career at Ohio State. But instead, McCord is headed to the ACC to play under first-year head coach Fran Brown, who Syracuse hired this offseason following two seasons as Georgia‘s defensive backs coach.

Brown has received glowing praise for his leadership, personality, and ability to recruit in the northeast, which he’s clearly put on display less than a month into his tenure by securing a commitment from McCord. But Finebaum is not quite as convinced on McCord’s decision to join the Orange.

“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.”

McCord was in a closely contested quarterback battle last offseason with Devin Brown, narrowly edging him out to become Ohio State’s starter for the 2023 season.

In his one and only season as a starter McCord was able to lead the Buckeyes to an 11-1 record, highlighted by wins over Notre Dame and Penn State and blemished by the team’s one loss to rival Michigan to end the regular season. He ranked second in the Big Ten in passing yards and touchdowns, ending the regular season with 3,170 yards through the air and 24 touchdown passes.

Geographically, McCord’s decision is a lot less perplexing than Finebaum advertised, with the Mt. Laurel, New Jersey native being a lot closer to home once he arrives on campus. But it will surely be interesting to see what the 2024 season looks like for the Orange with McCord under center and Brown as the head coach following five straight seasons with a .500 record or worse record in conference play.