Over the weekend, Syracuse football senior quarterback Kyle McCord had some touching sentiments regarding his tenure on the Hill, and I know that the vast majority of Orange fans feel precisely the same way about him.
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound McCord, a former five-star prep recruit who hails from Mount Laurel, N.J., transferred to the 'Cuse this past off-season to spend his senior year competing for first-year head coach Fran Brown and his top-flight staff.
After passing for 470 yards against UConn, @BrianHiggins315 discusses if @kylemccord16 is the best player to come out of the Transfer Portal this year?
— Cuse Sports Talk (@CuseSportsTalk_) November 24, 2024
Watch the full post game show with Brian Higgins on YouTube⬇️https://t.co/z1mzeX9evH pic.twitter.com/s4PWLygncY
The decision by McCord, a four-star transfer from Ohio State, to suit up for the Orange was one of numerous transfer-portal recruiting wins for Brown and his assistants ahead of the 2024 campaign.
What an honor to coach this guy every day! He’s the best QB in America & what he’s done for our team cannot be measured. What a winner! @kylemccord16 https://t.co/s06ajX9pYO
— Nunzio Campanile (@CoachNunz) November 23, 2024
McCord, in electing to leave the Buckeyes for the 'Cuse, cited his long-time relationships with Brown and his assistant coaches, as the signal-caller and several Syracuse football coaches come from New Jersey.
As Syracuse football (8-3, 4-3 in the ACC) prepares to host highly ranked Miami this coming Saturday in the 2024 regular-season finale, it's proven a record-setting term for McCord. I, for one, feel blessed that Kyle has spent this campaign in Central New York.
Syracuse football quarterback Kyle McCord has put forth a tremendous senior season.
This past Saturday, after the Orange defeated non-conference foe UConn by seven points, on senior day, at the JMA Wireless Dome, McCord said in part of his time on the Hill, "It was the best decision I've ever made in my life. ... It's exactly what Coach Brown told me it would be," per a post on X from the account Cuse Sports Talk.
https://t.co/4qzGnC4gco pic.twitter.com/86GJFXcYop
— Cuse Sports Talk (@CuseSportsTalk_) November 23, 2024
How can you not love that?
According to ESPN statistics, to date in the 2024 season, McCord is completing 65.3 percent of his passes for 3,946 yards and 26 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. When I reviewed the NCAA's Web site on Sunday, McCord was No. 1 in the country in total passing yards, completions per game, and passing yards per contest.
He's also tied for No. 7 nationally in total passing touchdowns. As it pertains to the Orange, McCord has broken the program's single-season records for completions and total passing yards. He needs one more passing touchdown to set that single-season record as well.
When I was a student at Syracuse University, I overlapped for three years with the legendary Donovan McNabb, and it was an honor to watch him play. Fast-forward about 25 years, and I feel the exact same way about McCord.
What Kyle has achieved in a 'Cuse uniform is remarkable. I hope that he and his teammates can upset Miami and then win a bowl game to close out the 2024 season at 10-3 overall. Then, moving forward, my fingers are crossed that we'll have an opportunity to watch McCord suit up on Sundays in the NFL.