Syracuse Football: National writer grades transfer QBs in week 1; Kyle McCord high up

Syracuse football senior quarterback Kyle McCord has earned a bunch of high praise from national experts for his week-one performance, and deservingly so.

The 6-foot-3, 220-pound McCord, a four-star transfer from Ohio State who was also a former five-star prep recruit coming out of the Philadelphia market, did a lot of positive stuff this past Saturday afternoon on the Hill.

After a rough first offensive series, McCord settled in. He showed off his strong passing abilities, zipping throws to receivers in tight spaces. There was a lot of chatter about McCord this off-season - his tenure with the Buckeyes, his decision to transfer to the 'Cuse, whether he was elite or slightly overrated.

Frankly, I got tired of that talk. I was just happy to see Kyle play in an actual game last Saturday at the JMA Wireless Dome. Time well tell how he and his Orange teammates fare in the 2024 season, and the competition is going to intensify. But in week one, McCord delivered the goods.

Syracuse football senior quarterback Kyle McCord is lauded for his first performance.

In the 2024 season opener, first-year head coach Fran Brown scored a 38-22 victory over a quality non-conference foe, Mid-American Conference member Ohio.

McCord, in that triumph, completed roughly 70 percent of his passes for a career-high 354 yards and four touchdowns, with one interception. To reiterate, this is just the first contest of 2024, and an excellent Georgia Tech squad will visit Central New York this Saturday afternoon.

Still, national writer John Talty of CBS Sports and 247Sports published a piece this week where he doled out grades to six prominent quarterbacks who transferred to new college squads ahead of the 2024 season.

Talty gave McCord an A-. The only transfer quarterback who was higher on Talty's list is Miami's Cam Ward, as the Hurricanes traveled to in-state rival Florida and crushed the Gators.

Talty wrote in part, "McCord looked terrific Saturday against Ohio, totaling 354 passing yards, four touchdowns and one interception. It's only one game against a MAC opponent but McCord looked comfortable out there and showed he's capable of putting up big numbers without a stacked supporting cast like he had at Ohio State."

Last month, speaking on the ACC Network, former Syracuse basketball head coach Jim Boeheim had a little fun at the expense of Ohio State head coach Ryan Day. Boeheim, the Hall of Famer, said in part, McCord's "certainly good enough for us" at the 'Cuse.

Jim was just being his usual self. And regarding McCord, Boeheim is absolutely right.