Kyle McCord: Ohio State lands commitment from 4-star quarterback

The timing may be a surprise, but the decision is not. Kyle McCord has committed to the Buckeyes.

The country’s eighth-ranked pro-style quarterback and a four-star prospect in the 2021 class, McCord committed to the Ohio State coaching staff on Monday night, choosing to end his recruitment without taking planned trips to Texas A&M and Clemson.

“I knew I was going to go to Ohio State since February,” McCord said. “I just didn’t say anything. I don’t think there’s a better situation than the one that’s available for me at Ohio State.”

With early offers from 16 schools including Michigan, Penn State, North Carolina and a dozen more, McCord has quickly emerged as one of the country’s fastest-rising quarterback prospects, picking up almost all of his scholarship offers since the start of February. The surge up the national rankings came as a result of a dynamic sophomore season for McCord, who completed 66 percent of his passes for almost 2,900 yards and 38 touchdowns en route to a state championship in his first year as a varsity starter at historic St. Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia.

Following his first visit to Ohio State in February, things accelerated quickly between McCord and the Ohio State coaching staff.

“From what I saw, Columbus seems like a great place to be,” McCord said. “For my first time being out there, it was a great experience. I was blown away with the visit. The most impressive thing out of everything was just the people — the coaches and players. I loved talking to Coach [Ryan] Day and [quarterbacks coach Mike] Yurcich and also getting to hear some of the current players talk. That really jumped out to me, just how genuine the coaches were. While I was talking to them, I could just tell they really cared about me. That was huge.”

Day’s role in McCord’s decision shouldn’t be understated.

“His history coaching successful quarterbacks in college and the NFL is really appealing,” McCord said. “Plus, he’s been the most genuine head coach I’ve met throughout the recruiting process.”

After a second visit, McCord is now one of the future Buckeyes who will be tasked with building a top-tier recruiting class alongside fellow 2021 verbal Jack Sawyer. He may not have to look very far for his first target: Pennsylvania’s fifth-ranked 2021 player is a teammate of the state’s fourth-ranked prospect, wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who has made both trips to Ohio State with McCord.

The quarterback couldn’t wait any longer to pull the trigger. Kyle McCord is heading to Ohio State.