4 quarterbacks Ohio State could replace Kyle McCord with in the transfer portal
By John Buhler
Not to say that Ryan Day needs to move off Kyle McCord at quarterback, but his first year as the Buckeyes starter has not been up to Ohio State standard of late. Quarterback play has been a pillar of excellence under Day, as well as under his predecessor, Urban Meyer. However, McCord has not been anywhere near as good as C.J. Stroud, Justin Fields or the late Dwayne Haskins all were before him.
Ohio State may be 9-0 on the year and 6-0 in conference play, but they may eventually get got by a worthy adversary this season if McCord does not elevate like his five-star status coming out of high school made us all believe he could. He may have a star wide receiver to throw the ball to in his former high school teammate Marvin Harrison Jr., but he projects to be a top-five pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Truth be told, making a change at the quarterback position for next year may not solve all of the issues low-key plaguing the Buckeyes now. I would anticipate that McCord will return and be the Buckeyes' starter in 2024, but so much can change between now and the start of next season. How this year shakes out for the Buckeyes may decide what Day wants to do with his team going forward.
If Day wishes to pivot off McCord, here are four quarterback replacements to be had in the portal.
Ohio State: 4 QB replacements for Kyle McCord in the transfer portal
4-3. Either Brock Vandagriff or Gunner Stockton out of Georgia may work
One would expect that either Brock Vandagriff or Gunner Stockton could transfer out of Georgia after this season. This is because starter Carson Beck will probably be back for one last season, as well as two promising freshmen coming in with five-star Dylan Raiola and four-star Ryan Puglisi. So if you did the quarterback math, two more are coming in, and nobody is leaving for the NFL just yet. Decisions...
While I don't know how close Tiger or Bogart, Georgia are to Columbus, Ohio culturally, Big Ten football is still a big deal, too. Like Raiola and Puglisi, Vandagriff and Stockton were five and four-stars, respectively. They have patiently bided their time backing up Stetson Bennett IV, and now Beck. In theory, they should be good enough to start at other Power Five schools, maybe even at Ohio State?
In all honesty, I am not sure if Vandagriff or Stockton are good enough right now for Day to effectively pivot off McCord, or even potentially continue to overlook Devin Brown sitting on the bench. I cannot guarantee that either Georgia backup quarterback will even be as good as Brown. Regardless, Georgia is a team loaded with quarterback talent, one that Ohio State could possibly look towards.
Keep in mind Day did venture into the portal to get Fields out of Georgia ahead of the 2019 season.