After biding his time as C.J. Stroud's backup the two previous years, it was The Kyle McCord Show in Columbus, Ohio, alright. It had a lot of hype, but it was unfortunately canceled after just one season. McCord put his name into the transfer portal shortly after Ohio State lost The Game to arch-rival Michigan for the third year in a row. His stock has taken a beating of late, but it could rebound again.
McCord was a former five-star recruiting coming out of high school. The Philadelphia native committed to the Buckeyes, alongside his high school teammate and 2023 Heisman Trophy finalist Marvin Harrison Jr. While the Ohio State wideout projects as the first non-quarterback taken in the 2024 NFL Draft, McCord has at least two more years of eligibility remaining before he must turn pro.
I think McCord will find somewhere new to play in the Power Five, albeit at a place where expectations are a tad more reasonable. Ohio State is a noted pressure cooker, one that eventually got the best of the former five-star passer from Philadelphia. If he picks the right transfer portal destination, McCord could salvage his once-promising college career and get back to being a first-round-caliber talent.
If McCord has not made up his mind yet, I would suggest looking at one of these five P5 programs.
5. Syracuse Orange could be enticing with Fran Brown's Philly connection
Not to say that the Syracuse Orange are for sure going after a signature quarterback in the transfer portal, but you have to believe they are going to be making a big splash this offseason under their new head coach, Fran Brown. While serving as a coach in the Georgia secondary, Brown developed quite the reputation for being one helluva recruiter, as well as helping that position group succeed.
Brown leaving Athens for Syracuse was shocking to say the least, but nothing in Brown's life has ever been easy. Born into poverty in Camden, New Jersey, Brown went on to play college ball at Western Carolina before getting into coaching. He has strong East Coast ties to Temple University, a program that shares the same city of Philadelphia as McCord's hometown. The dots can easily be connected.
By committing to Syracuse, McCord would be playing in a dome in a much more navigable ACC. He could be the player that helps the Orange get back to what they were during the peak Paul Pasqualoni days. Keep in mind that Harrison's namesake father starred for the Orange. Another notable SU alum is former Philadelphia Eagles franchise quarterback Donovan McNabb. Keep an eye on Syracuse.
Syracuse is an excellent landing spot for McCord, but there are other more intriguing options for him.
4. Mississippi State Bulldogs could have a fun offense under Jeff Lebby
If McCord were to bite the bullet and come to the more competitive SEC, the one place to watch has to be the Mississippi State Bulldogs. This has everything to do with the change of helm of the football team. Former Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby is taking over from a defensive-minded head coach in Zach Arnett. Lebby wants to throw the ball a ton like Mike Leach did before Arnett.
With long-time Bulldogs starting quarterback Will Rogers hitting the transfer portal, everybody quickly tied former Oklahoma and UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel to Mississippi State. Again, he could follow Lebby to Starkville like he did from Orlando to Norman, but Dan Lanning may want him to come to Eugene to be Bo Nix's 2024 replacement. So what about McCord going to Mississippi State?
If he helped Lebby and the Bulldogs get to bowl in 2024 and 2025, that might be enough to get him back to being a top-100 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. He does not have to be Dak Prescott in Starkville, but if he can be a more talented version of Rogers, then Mississippi State would have a chance to sneak up on some people in Lebby's first run as a college football head coach. Don't rule this one out.
Doing good things at a place like Mississippi State will do wonders for McCord's level of comp issues.
3. Rutgers Scarlet Knights need to upgrade at quarterback to stay afloat
Gavin Wimsatt is a fine Big Ten quarterback, but you would be lying to yourself if you didn't think that the Rutgers Scarlet Knights could have done better. Given that Rutgers and Ohio State played each other annually as part of the old Big Ten East, one would think that Scarlet Knights head coach Greg Schiano kept close tabs on the Buckeyes quarterback room. McCord could potentially be had, alright.
If McCord went to Rutgers, that might be enough to get the Scarlet Knights to somewhat of what they were at their apex under Schiano in the old Big East. 8-4 at Rutgers is like going 12-0 at Ohio State. Even though doing away with divisions will help a team out like Rutgers considerably, let's not overlook the fact that four Pac-12 schools are all coming in in Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington.
Level of comp won't change for McCord with him staying in the Big Ten. Moving slightly east to Piscattaway could have him playing closer to the East Coast. The upside may not be there with Rutgers as it would with other programs, but in terms of being able to start and stay somewhat nationally relevant in the Big Ten, it is hard to top Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights have a real chance.
This perceived Big Ten downgrade could be the transfer destination that will lift McCord back up.
2. Miami Hurricanes need to replace Tyler Van Dyke in the transfer portal
Low-key, I think McCord could be spectacular in Miami. While I don't know how quickly he will assimilate in what Shannon Dawson wants to do philosophically, I know that Mario Cristobal can recruit, recruit, recruit. By going to Miami, McCord would never have to take a knee in his life, win, lose or draw. Cristobal does not subscribe to that, but will McCord be a Cane according to his crystal ball?
To me, McCord would be an upgrade over Tyler Van Dyke under center for Miami. Van Dyke is transferring, but could be leaving behind a sneaky-good pick to win the ACC next year if The U finally pops under Cristobal. Getting to a bowl game this year was a major step in the right direction, but Miami needs to land a quarterback that knows a thing or two about winning. McCord did go 11-1.
If McCord wanted the closest approximation of playing big time football at a place with big time talent, Miami is probably the way to go. The Hurricanes program is still down to its once-lofty standard, but maybe he could be the one to get The U back to being The U. If Texas can be back, so can Miami. The Canes will have to put in the work, but the work will be easier with this five-star talent.
The fact I can easily visualize McCord wearing green and orange makes this transfer feel more real.
1. Nebraska Cornhuskers are a good quarterback away from bowl games
This is the one that has emerged as the clear and early front-runner to land McCord. Nebraska nearly went to a bowl game in Matt Rhule's first year in Lincoln. Had it not been for offensive ineptitude, the Huskers would have done something Scott Frost was never able to do, which is win six games in a season. Marcus Satterfield may not be a great offensive coordinator, but what if he can land McCord?
Rhule is adept at coaching up his defense, as well as getting the most out of a player's untapped talent. The fact UNL was able to retain Tony Gibson as its defensive coordinator is huge because he was up for the Syracuse job that went to Fran Brown and the defensive coordinator gig at USC that went to D'Anton Lynn. All the Huskers need right now is a better quarterback to get back to bowls.
In all honesty, there is only one way where Nebraska can be topped by anyone to land McCord in the portal. They have the NIL to outspend most teams in their current situation. Although it hasn't happened yet, what if Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles takes over a Duke? What if Manny Diaz got the job in Durham? Either of those head-coaching candidates change the calculus.
Barring something unforeseen, Nebraska should be viewed as McCord's likeliest transfer destination.