Syracuse Football: National expert says 5-star QB Kyle McCord is strong fit at ‘Cuse

Not all national observers are questioning the decision of Ohio State junior quarterback Kyle McCord to transfer to Syracuse football for his senior year.

In a recent article, 247Sports national writer Brad Crawford published a piece where he looked at 10 great fits among quarterback transfers who had announced commitments to new schools.

Naturally, this sort of ranking will change as other QB transfers reveal new collegiate destinations, but Crawford included McCord in his story, putting the Orange pledge at No. 6 overall.

Earlier this month, after visiting Nebraska, the 6-foot-3, 215-pound McCord took an official visit to the Hill, and then he shortly thereafter announced his transfer to Syracuse football, giving the ‘Cuse its highest-rated commit in many years.

A national expert is high on the fit between Syracuse football and QB Kyle McCord.

Crawford, in his piece, wrote in part, “To no one's surprise, the addition of Ohio State’s Kyle McCord over the weekend (on December 17) puts Syracuse’s recruiting hype in a different stratosphere this cycle ahead of coach Fran Brown’s first season. The expectation is the Orange’s show offensively belongs to McCord in 2024 and the offensive staff will do all they can to make the former Buckeyes starter to feel as comfortable as possible in his new digs.”

In the current transfer portal cycle, McCord is a highly rated overall prospect and also one of the top quarterbacks who entered the portal.

When I wrote this column, 247Sports placed him as four stars, in the top 50 nationally, and in the top 15 at quarterback.

Rivals.com, meanwhile, ranked McCord as four stars, inside the top 20 overall and in the top 10 at his position.

McCord, in the 2023 regular season, helped lead the Buckeyes to an 11-1 record. He threw for 3,170 yards and 24 touchdowns against just six interceptions as a junior in Columbus, Ohio.

Not too long ago, I came across comments from numerous national observers, including ESPN's Paul Finebaum, who seemed to question McCord’s decision to transfer to Syracuse football.

At his press conference on National Signing Day, new Orange head coach Fran Brown discussed the numerous reasons why McCord will suit up for the ‘Cuse as a senior in the 2024 season.

As a member of the 2021 recruiting class out of the St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in Philadelphia, McCord was a five-star, top-30 national prospect in that cycle.

He is a native of Mount Laurel, N.J., and his hometown is much closer in proximity to Syracuse than it is to Columbus.

Multiple Syracuse football coaches, led by Brown, are from New Jersey. McCord has known Brown, quarterbacks coach Nunzio Campanile and expected SU offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon for years.

I’ll never sit here and say that the Orange program is on anywhere close to the same level as Ohio State, a squad that annually competes for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

That being said, in looking ahead to the 2024 term, the ‘Cuse has a favorable schedule. McCord will have a boatload of talented tight ends and wide receivers to target, including Syracuse football junior and former All-ACC player Oronde Gadsden II, who recently said on social media that he’s coming back to the Orange for his senior year.

Beyond existing tight ends and wide receivers on the ‘Cuse roster who are likely to return for another season, led by Gadsden, Syracuse football coaches have scored several commits at wide receiver among the high school senior class as well as via the portal.