“It was just cool to see everybody win.”
It’s no secret, that for the last year-plus, there’s been a narrative that there’s been some animosity between Syracuse Orange quarterback Kyle McCord and Ohio State —specifically Ryan Day— since he decided to transfer at the end of the 2023 season.
And, McCord certainly (or hopefully) put that narrative to rest at the combine on Friday.
“I know people try to make it seem like, you know, we hate each other or whatever, but that’s not the case at all,” McCord on his relationship with Ryan Day. “I was rooting for him all season long, and I know he was rooting for me.”
Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
McCord admitted some of the criticism he received at Ohio State was warranted, ‘I’ll be the first person to admit, I didn’t play my best football at Ohio State’. And, he added that he carries his experience in Columbus with him to this day.
“When you play quarterback at Ohio State, you’re sort of always under the microscope, regardless of where you go. And, playing three years and starting for one at Ohio State, you just kind of carry that same mentality around, you kind of just assume that, you’re under the microscope everywhere you go,” McCord said.
The former Buckeye, despite entering the transfer portal just nine days after Ohio State’s loss to Michigan in 2023, said the decision to leave Columbus wasn’t easy.
“When you pour three years of blood, sweat and tears into a program and you create a lot of great relationships there with the players and the coaching staff and the support staff, it wasn’t an easy decision to leave,” McCord said. “But I think it worked out for me, it worked out for them, so I think all-around it was the right thing to do.”
How’s this for timely? We met an Ohio State fan (& SU student) at the bar tonight. Of course, I asked him questions about Kyle McCord. “Once he made it to Syracuse and had space to perform, he could perform at his full potential,” the fan said. pic.twitter.com/rPf9zuS5HH
— Samantha Croston (@SamCroston1) January 11, 2025
After the Ohio State transfer shattered almost every single season record at Syracuse, the Orange won a bowl game for the first time since 2018 and the Buckeyes won their first College Football Playoff National Championship since the 2014-15 season.
And, McCord said ‘it was awesome’ to watch Ohio State complete that feat.
“I mean, obviously, those are my guys, so seeing them accomplish that goal was sweet, knowing how bad they worked for it. I had a great year and they had a great year and so it was just cool to see everybody win, to be honest,” McCord said.
McCord continues his resurgence at the NFL scouting combine on Saturday at 1 PM when quarterbacks begin workouts at Lucas Oil Stadium. He’ll be one-of-13 QBs throwing, with the only two exceptions being Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward.