Ohio State didn’t have quite the season it expected, finishing with another loss to rival Michigan and missing out on the College Football Playoff. As the Buckeyes take on Missouri in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, they’ll do so without starting quarterback Kyle McCord.
What happened to McCord? College Football Network has the latest on Ohio State’s former starting quarterback.
What Happened to Kyle McCord?
A former four-star recruit from St. Joseph’s High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, McCord spent two years patiently waiting his turn in Columbus. After playing just 162 snaps in his first two years as a Buckeye, McCord secured the full-time starting job before the 2023 season.
He threw for 3,169 yards and 24 touchdowns as the Buckeyes went 11-1 this season. However, after the season, McCord decided to enter the transfer portal on Dec. 4.
MORE: Top Transfer Portal Departures From the Big Ten
McCord prolonged the process after visiting and nearly committing to Nebraska early in December.
He committed to Syracuse and Fran Brown on Dec. 17, giving the new head coach a high-profile quarterback in the transfer portal. Since he committed to a new school, McCord and Ohio State made the mutual decision that McCord would sit out the Cotton Bowl Classic.
Who Is Starting at Quarterback for Ohio State?
With McCord sitting out the Cotton Bowl Classic, the Buckeyes will turn to former 5-star recruit Devin Brown. Brown, a sophomore from Draper, Utah, will make his first career start in the Cotton Bowl Classic and the first Ohio State quarterback to make his first career start in a bowl game.
Brown played well in limited opportunities this season and excels at pushing the ball down the field. He’s thrown 22 passes, completing 12 for 197 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception in four appearances this season.
Brown battled McCord for the starting job before the year and took the competition down to the wire. Brown will battle freshman Lincoln Kleinholtz and potentially a transfer for the starting quarterback job in 2024.
Miss any action from the top college QB Rankings during the 2023 football season? Want to track all the movement with the college football’s transfer portal? College Football Network has you covered with that and more!