Do not be alarmed if you hear a cork pop sound coming from Ryan Day’s office on the campus of Ohio State this week.
After all, Syracuse head coach Fran Brown did say he “should send him a bottle of champagne for allowing us to get him,” in reference to Orange starting quarterback, Kyle McCord.
Following career highs in passing yards (354) and touchdown passes (four) in his Syracuse debut against Ohio, McCord moved that mark even further when he threw for 381 yards and another four touchdowns in an upset win over then-No. 23 Georgia Tech.
Now that he’s 2-0 at his new stop and has college coaches possibly exchanging alcoholic beverages, let’s explore where Kyle McCord played football in high school and how he ended up at Syracuse.
Where Did Kyle McCord Play in High School?
To say McCord grew up surrounded by football would actually be an understatement.
The son of former Rutgers quarterback Derek McCord, Kyle grew up in Mount Laurel, N.J., which is home to NFL Films. His older brother, Cole, played Division III football in college as a tight end.
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McCord attended high school across the Delaware River from Mount Laurel in Philadelphia at St. Joseph’s Prep. He led the Hawks to three straight state championships after becoming the starting quarterback as a sophomore when he completed over 66% of his passes for 2,883 yards with 38 touchdowns.
He had quite the connection with Marvin Harrison Jr., one of the best high school wide receivers in the nation.
Prior to his junior season at St. Joe’s, McCord committed to Ohio State over offers from Penn State, Michigan State, Mississippi State, and Texas A&M. Harrison Jr. would eventually join him as an Ohio State recruit.
In all, McCord set Philadelphia Catholic League records for career passing yards (6,887) and touchdown passes (88). He was a consensus five-star prospect in the 2021 recruiting class, which included 2024 NFL first-round picks Caleb Williams and J.J. McCarthy.
Upon his 2021 arrival in Columbus in a star-studded freshman class that included quarterback Quinn Ewers, who’s now at Texas, McCord was the primary backup to C.J. Stroud for two seasons in which he played in 12 games (one start) and attempted 58 passes.
As a junior in 2023 and with Stroud off to play on Sundays with the NFL’s Houston Texans, McCord started all 12 regular-season games for the Buckeyes.
McCord posted an 11-1 mark while earning All-Big Ten honors as he led the Buckeyes to an invitation to the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, finishing the season with 3,170 passing yards and 24 touchdowns, which both ranked second in the conference.
McCord Thriving at Syracuse Under Head Coach Fran Brown
Following the 2023 season, McCord entered the transfer portal, and with one year of college eligibility remaining, it didn’t take long for him to choose Fran Brown and the Syracuse Orange.
McCord has a deep connection with Brown, a fellow New Jersey native, as well as with Orange quarterbacks coach Nunzio Campanile and offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon.
By joining Syracuse, McCord had an opportunity to have a fresh start without having to reintroduce himself to a completely new coaching staff.
While it is only two games, McCord has certainly made a solid first impression in his new conference and in his new threads. After his career day against Georgia Tech in Week 2, McCord quickly pointed to the coaching staff that believed in his journey from Columbus to Syracuse.
“The people around me, the coaches believe in me, my teammates believe in me. It means a lot. All offseason, we’ve been hearing we weren’t ready for games like this,” he told the ACC Network.
If McCord continues at this pace, sparking wine consumption will peak just as the fall foliage does this time of year in Western New York.
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