Scarlet Sunrise: Kyle McCord calls departure from Ohio State a 'business decision'
Good morning, Ohio State fans, and welcome to the Scarlet Sunrise. Football will always be our focus, but every day we’ll cover news, notes and analysis from across Buckeyes sports. Join us each morning to get caught up on everything you missed in the world of Buckeyes football, recruiting, basketball and more in Scarlet Sunrise.
Kyle McCord calls departure from Ohio State a ‘business decision’
Former Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord joined the “The QB Room,” a podcast hosted by Buffalo Bills backup quarterback Kyle Allen and former NFL quarterback Jordan Palmer.
During Wednesday’s episode, McCord addressed why he left Ohio State.
“You guys know it just as well as I do,” McCord said on the podcast. “At the end of the day, the top level of college football and then especially onto the pros, it’s a business. At the end of the day, Ohio State had to make a business decision that they felt like was best for them, and I had to do the same thing. And unfortunately it just wasn’t meant to be for next year. But I felt like I put together some solid games, had some good tape, so I was confident when I went in the portal, I would find a good home.”
McCord didn’t get into more detail about the specifics of that decision from either side. But it’s important to note that McCord — who threw for 24 touchdowns, six interceptions and 3,170 yards in his 11-1 season as the Buckeyes’ full-time starter — has just one year of college eligibility remaining.
McCord entered the transfer portal on Dec. 4. He committed to Syracuse on Dec. 17. The Mt. Laurel, New Jersey, native didn’t say much publicly in between.
Meanwhile, fans speculated why he left Ohio State and why he ended up at Syracuse.
“I didn’t really say too much,” McCord said. “After I left, I kind of put out my statement and kept the reasons close, kind of in my inner circle. And I’ve had news outlets hit me up. I got one, a news outlet from Columbus that hit me up to do a story, and I didn’t answer it. Hit my family up to do a story, they didn’t answer. Hit people up in my circle to do a story, nobody answered. And then the next day, you go online, and they have an article published of the five reasons I left. And you read them and it’s just a bunch of BS. They’re just kind of pulling at strings at that point.
“The narrative, people read that and they think that’s true and so they start believing in it and posting it and it just kind of snowballs. And when you don’t really speak up about it, it is what it is.”
McCord continued: “But I think the truth will always reveal itself. I kind of saw it firsthand with C.J. [Stroud]. I mean, he got a lot of criticism in his time at Ohio State, and he goes on to be the No. 2 draft pick and is arguably having one of the best rookie years of all time. Regardless if you do good, bad or indifferent, people are going to have something to say. And so I think this year I’ve just been doing a good job of blocking it all out and understanding that it’s a part of the position, especially at a school like that there’s going to be a lot of noise. So a lot of the time, you just kind of let it roll off your back. Like I said, I think the truth will always prevail.”
McCord discussed how the NIL component makes the transfer portal like free agency. He also stressed the importance of finding the right fit, people and football wise. Syracuse was that right fit for McCord.
He explained how he grew up playing football in South Jersey, where new Syracuse head coach Fran Brown also hails from. When he was in middle school, McCord crossed paths with Brown, who coached at Temple from 2012-16.
“He told me when I was in like seventh grade,” McCord recalled, “I think he was like, ‘You’re gonna be special, man. Wherever I am, I want to be your coach.'”
Brown was the first coach to reach out to McCord in the portal, McCord said
Then there’s Syracuse offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon, who spent 2023 as the New York Giants running backs coach but was the running backs/wide receivers coach at Temple in 2006 and an offensive/special teams assistant with the Philadelphia Eagles from 2007-10.
McCord said he played youth football with Nixon’s son, who was the running back while McCord was the quarterback. So that relationship with his new OC goes back to when he was 5 or 6 years old, McCord said.
The third coach McCord will be working with most extensively at Syracuse is Nunzio Campanile, who was the head coach at Bergen Catholic from 2010-17. Bergen Catholic is in North Jersey. Near the end of McCord’s middle school year,s Campanile wanted McCord to come up and play there, but he stuck with St. Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia, where he won three state titles with friend and future Ohio State teammate Marvin Harrison Jr.
But, bottom line, McCord has deep ties to the Syracuse staff. A favorable schedule for the Orange next season — which starts with games against Ohio, Holy Cross, UConn, Boston College and Cal — was appealing to McCord as well, especially with the 12-team College Football Playoff set to debut in 2024.
“Having a 12-team playoff this year would have been sweet,” McCord said, referencing the 2023 season. “I think there was a lot of deserving teams. But now going to a school where there’s a realistic chance — if we win some games and do what we should do, in my eyes, we’re going to be in a place right at the end of the season to have a chance to compete in that 12-team playoff.
“So that was definitely a big factor in the decision, knowing that you don’t have to choose one of the top handful of schools to have an opportunity to play in the playoffs at the end of the year. You can go to one of the smaller Power Five schools, and if you win some games, you’re going to be right there in contention.”
McCord — a former five-star prospect and Elite 11 finalist in the 2021 recruiting class — was asked by Palmer to reflect on his football journey to this point.
He talked about how “it was love at first sight” when he got out to the Ohio State spring game in 2019 and Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day told McCord he wanted him to commit.
He stayed true to his early commitment, and he stayed at Ohio State, even after he began his Buckeyes career in what he called “probably one of the most loaded QB rooms in college football history,” which included Stroud and Quinn Ewers, who just led Texas to a Big 12 title and the CFP.
“Ultimately everything kind of just played itself out,” McCord said. “I got to learn behind C.J. for two years, which was phenomenal, picking his brain every day. And then got the opportunity to play this year, and obviously like we talked about throughout the show, a lot of highs and lows, good and bad, and just learning everything that comes with it.
“Then made the decision to leave and now I’m at Syracuse with an opportunity to do everything that I want in front of me.”
Ohio State defensive tackle Tyleik Williams returning for senior season
Ohio State is getting a big piece back on its defensive line for the 2024 campaign. Fellow defensive tackle and third-year player Mike Hall Jr. already declared for the NFL Draft, but Tyleik Williams announced Tuesday that he’s reloading the clip and returning to the Buckeyes for next season.
Williams broke out in 2023 with 54 total tackles — he combined for 37 his first two years at Ohio State — not to mention his 10.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks and five passes defended, plus a fumble recovery for a touchdown he recorded against Western Kentucky in Week 3.
Maybe most notably, Williams upped his snap count significantly, playing 645 defensive snaps this season, according to Pro Football Focus. He had notched 251 and 183 defensive snaps in 2022 and 2021, respectively.
For the full story on Williams’ announcement, go here.
Catching up on Cotton Bowl content?
Ohio State flopped offensively in the Cotton Bowl, scoring 20 points or fewer for just the fifth time since Ryan Day joined the program in 2017 — but the third time this season.
There weren’t too many bright spots in a 14-3 defeat to Missouri, but the top-10 New Year’s Six showdown in AT&T Stadium did feature a strong performance by the Buckeyes’ defense.
Lettermen Row had full coverage of the disappointing conclusion to the 2023 season, which included the short-lived starting debut of Devin Brown and the first real meaningful snaps for fellow quarterback Lincoln Kienholz.
Get up to speed here…
Counting down
Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 331 days
Are you a Lettermen Row member yet?
Are you ready to get all your latest Ohio State news in one place? Become a member of Lettermen Row today. With your Lettermen Row/On3+ membership, you’ll not only have access to everything that’s happening with the Buckeyes, but you’ll also be able to peruse other fan sites within the network to hear just how rivals are feeling about Ohio State, as well. Make sure to follow along on X, Instagram and on Youtube for all the latest Buckeyes news you need to know.
