Ohio State QB Kyle McCord Entering Transfer Portal

Kyle McCord, who started all 12 regular season games for Ohio State in 2023, is reportedly set to enter the Transfer Portal, according to a report from Matt Zenitz of 247 sports. The report was later confirmed by both BuckeyeHuddle and by McCord himself via social media.

McCord completed 65.8 percent of his passes in 2023 for 3,170 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions. However, two of those interceptions came in the Buckeyes’ only loss of the season, against Michigan, including one that set up the Wolverines’ first touchdown of the game, and another in the final minute that ended the Buckeyes’ chances.

His departure leaves redshirt freshman Devin Brown, true freshman Lincoln Kienholz, and graduate transfer Tristen Gebbia as the Buckeyes’ only scholarship quarterbacks for the December 29 Cotton Bowl game against Missouri.

The news provides some interesting context to a moment from Sunday afternoon when Day was unusually cagey while answering a question about his plans for the quarterback position during the Cotton Bowl.

“You know, all things that we’ll look at, it’s not just in that position, it’s all positions to try to figure out,” Day said. “It’d be good to just to get out there and have these guys practicing and working.”

The leadup to that bowl game will break down into different segments.

“There’s a couple of different phases to the bowl practice, you kind of have your fundamental period and you have your game planning and then you have your practicing at the bowl site. And there’ll be several practices to kind of get evaluation will be competitive early on and going against each other,” Day said.

“We’ll keep looking at it. And ultimately, it’s going to be (who) gives you the best chance to win the game,” he said. “Some of the young guys at certain positions will have an opportunity based on how they practice in the bowl practices.”

The battle for the 2024 starting quarterback position will start now, but will take shape in the spring, with Brown and Kienholz competing, along with true freshman Air Noland. And of course, the Buckeyes could always add another quarterback through the transfer portal as well.

Also, in the early morning hours of Monday, OSU sophomore safety Kye Stokes announced that he was entering the transfer portal as well.

Stokes played in just three games this year and will have three years of eligibility remaining.

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