Have a question about Ohio State recruiting? This is the place for you, five days a week. <a href="http://twitter.com/birm">Submit your questions on Twitter</a> or on the <a href="https://lettermenrow.com/boards/ohio-state-football-recruiting/recruiting-question-of-the-day/">Lettermen Row forums</a>. Check in daily to see what’s on the mind of Buckeyes fans all over the country. Today we check in on why Kyle McCord was the right fit for the Buckeyes despite so many young quarterbacks having early interest in Ohio State.
<h2>Ohio State Recruiting Question of the Day</h2>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Was the Kyle McCord commitment a matter of him being the 1st 2021 QB to commit to tOSU? or was he who the staff wanted the most? I am essentially asking if the staff liked him better than say, the higher ranked, J.J. McCarthy, or if he was just committed first. Thanks!
— Ryan Hunter (@rwhunter4) <a href="https://twitter.com/rwhunter4/status/1126180603156627456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 8, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
I don’t know that there’s really an answer here that will satisfy everyone, but I’m going to try my best to answer this based on my understanding of Ohio State’s line of thinking combined with my own personal read on the situation.
Outside of Clemson, I don’t think there’s a single program in the country that has the clout with quarterbacks and wide receivers that Ohio State does at present. Because of that, there’s been a line of quarterbacks (and receivers, but that’s for another day) making their way to Columbus for visits. Without fail, they’ve left raving about Ryan Day and his offensive system and the overall status of the program.
<div id="attachment_6597" style="width: 1010px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-6597" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-6597 size-large" src="https://lettermenrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Screen-Shot-2018-10-09-at-9.00.51-AM_vftont.jpg" alt="jj mccarthy football-jj mccarthy recruit-jj mccarthy quarterback-jj mccarthy illinois" width="1000" height="450" />J.J. McCarthy is the highest-ranked quarterback offered by Ohio State in 2021 but will likely end up at Michigan. (Birm/Lettermen Row)</div>
What Day was able to do with Dwayne Haskins in the last year-plus has made him as hot a commodity as there is for future college quarterbacks. Because of that, there was a serious need to seriously examine and evaluate the options this spring, knowing that when they did that, there was a risk of making the wrong choice.
But sometimes the biggest mistake is in not choosing at all because programs can wait right out of the game for players that can be difference-makers in a program. Ohio State has extended scholarship offers to eight different quarterbacks in 2021, and of that group, <a href="https://247sports.com/player/kyle-mccord-46047962">Kyle McCord</a>, is the seventh-ranked prospect, only ahead of Connecticut prospect<a href="https://247sports.com/player/jack-brandon-46037517"> Jack Brandon</a> and almost 100 spots lower than the top-ranked quarterback with an offer, Illinois standout <a href="https://247sports.com/player/jack-brandon-46037517">J.J. McCarthy</a>.
Though I know I’m going to be accused of wearing scarlet-colored glasses when I say this, if the Buckeyes hadÂ wanted to land a commitment from McCarthy ahead of McCord this spring, I feel very confident in saying they could have. The Buckeyes were the favorite for McCord, McCarthy and North Carolina’s <a href="https://247sports.com/player/drake-maye-46054754">Drake Maye</a> — at least that’s what<a href="https://lettermenrow.com/ohio-state-football-recruiting/ohio-state-recruiting-updates-on-lejond-cavazos-2021-quarterback-derby/"> he told Lettermen Row in April</a> — and were also close to the aforementioned Brandon and <a href="https://247sports.com/player/caleb-williams-46040610">Caleb Williams</a> of Maryland.
So why McCord? I asked a good source close to the program that when it became apparent he would be the choice, and the answer isn’t that complicated.
“Ohio State thought he had the most upside,” the source shared. “His throwing motion, the size, the mental makeup, the football IQ and the accuracy.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Ohio State commit Kyle McCord talks recruiting, friendships with potential rivals" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/A2UKfxuMAZg?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
That makes sense, of course, but there’s also the extra stuff that you have to consider.
Maye, for example, may have as much upside, but the odds are not in the Buckeyes favor that he’d end up in Columbus whenever he’s ready to commit — and that could be a year from now or longer. Sure, the relationship is good now and the Buckeyes were in a solid early position. But his North Carolina roots are very deep and he’s so close to Clemson that it seems certain it will get involved as well, and then you start diving into the whole return-on-investment way of thinking.
J.J. McCarthy is a super-talented young player and a state champion like McCord is, but maybe physically doesn’t have the same long-term growth potential. He also doesn’t help open the door to a recruiting area that has long been lost to Ohio State.
There are so many levels and so much nuance to these decisions that it’s nearly impossible to attribute any decision to one specific reason, especially at quarterback. It’s the game’s most important position and a recruiting choice that if made incorrectly can throw a real wrench into a program’s plans. Whatever the reasons, Ohio State saw everything they wanted and needed in Kyle McCord, and that’s why he’s the young man being tasked with leading the Class of 2021.
The best way to stay on top of all that recruiting #stuff? Subscribe to Lettermen Rowâ€™sÂ <a href="https://mailchi.mp/dd2fe455b411/birm">Recruiting with Birm</a>Â newsletter.Â

Kyle-McCord-4

Lettermen Row

Why was Kyle McCord the choice for Ohio State at quarterback?

team image

Big Ten Conference

Ohio State Buckeyes

Organization Logo

Ohio State

Lettermen Lounge

News

Lobby

Ohio High School Football

Forums

News Feed

Roster

Schedule

Transfer Portal Ranking

Transfer Portal

Ohio State Draft History

[site-team] Draft History

Football

Search

Commitments

Transfers

Team Rankings

Player Rankings

Industry Comparison

Offers

Visits

Recruiting Prediction Machine

FB Recruiting

Basketball

BB Recruiting

About

Staff

Lettermen Row On3+ Subscription

[site-name] On3+ Subscription

Contact

Podcasts and Shows

Team Store

Women's Basketball

Softball

Baseball

Message Boards

Rivals300 {{ hot }}

MegaBoard

Team Recruiting Rankings

Alabama

Arizona State

Arizona

Arkansas

Auburn

Baylor

Boston College

California

Removed

Clemson

Colorado

Duke

Florida

Florida State

Georgia

Georgia Tech

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Iowa State

Kansas

Kansas State

Kentucky

Louisville

Maryland

Miami

Michigan State

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi State

Missouri

NC State

Nebraska

North Carolina

Northwestern

Notre Dame

Oklahoma

Oklahoma State

Ole Miss

The Main Board

Oregon

Oregon State

Penn State

Pittsburgh

Purdue

Rutgers

South Carolina

Stanford

Syracuse

Tennessee

Texas A&M

Texas

Texas Tech

UCLA

Utah

Vanderbilt

Virginia

Virginia Tech

Wake Forest

Washington

Washington State

West Virginia

Wisconsin

BamaOnLine

BOL Round Table

Inside Texas

IT Members Only

DawgsHQ

Dawg Walk

Scoop Duck

Recruiting & Sports

AuburnSports

The Corner

WeAreSC

GarryP's Trojan Huddle

The Wolverine

The Fort

The Lions Den

The Wolfpacker

The Wolves’ Den

GatorsOnline

Swamp Talk

Alabama A&M

Alabama State

Albany

Alcorn State

Abilene Christian

Appalachian State

Akron

Army

Austin Peay

Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Arkansas-Little Rock

Arkansas State

Air Force

Ball State

American

Wofford

Winthrop

Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Wisconsin-Green Bay

Wichita State

Western Carolina

Volleyball

Gymnastics

Men's Lacrosse

Women's Lacrosse

Men's Soccer

Women's Soccer

Women's Track

Men's Golf

Women's Golf

Men's Hockey

Women's Hockey

Men's Swimming

Women's Swimming

Wrestling

Men's Tennis

Women's Tennis

Annual $1

Annual Premium

Annual $1 

Monthly

Annual

Unlimited Access to This and All Articles.

Article (On3 Plus Rivals)

Forum (On3 Plus Rivals)

Intro

Join

College scoop, experts, and community - all in one.

Winback

Ohio State approach, evaluations validated in final 2026 prospect rankings

#Stuff on Rivals300

Strength, depth in Big Ten now makes aggressive nonconference schedule unnecessary

Why was Kyle McCord the choice for Ohio State at quarterback?

#Stuff on Rivals300

Should OSU play Texas?

Schedule takeaways

Big Ten schedule released

Buckeyes sign 5 five-stars