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Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord entered the NCAA transfer portal upon its official opening Monday (December 4) morning, ESPN's Adam Rittenberg reports.
McCord, 21, a junior, led the Buckeyes to an 11-1 record and No. 7 overall ranking in 2023 after beating out Devin Brown -- who suffered a finger injury that required surgery prior to preseason training camp -- for the starting role early in the season. The former five-star prospect threw for 3,170 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions -- including two in the Buckeyes' only loss to Michigan in their final regular season game -- on 229 of 348 passing.
On Sunday (December 3), Ohio State was selected to face Missouri in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic (December 29) and head coach Ryan Day was noncommittal when asked about McCord's status as the team's starting quarterback moving forward.
"As time went on, Kyle got better as the season went on," Day said via ESPN. "Had a little bit of those ankle injuries that he worked through; he showed toughness there. Certainly the Notre Dame game, he played really well down the stretch. So I think there was growth there, for sure, and I think he's a good quarterback, I do. After every year, you evaluate everything, and try to figure out what to do next. But I think there was a lot of progress made this year."
McCord spent his first two seasons at Ohio State behind current Houston Texans quarterback and NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite C.J. Stroud. Ohio State had already lost several other players to the transfer portal upon its opening Monday including running back Evan Pryor, a former four-star prospect for the 2021 national recruiting cycle, according to On3.com.