Ohio State will have a new quarterback when it tries to end a three-game losing streak to Michigan in 2024.
Starting quarterback Kyle McCord entered the transfer portal Monday, according to ESPN.
While McCord is not the same caliber of quarterback as previous Ohio State signal callers like C.J. Stroud and Justin Fields, this is still a notable development.
McCord has not tweeted about his move, and it’s hard to know whether this was his decision, an example of over-recruitment or both sides deciding it was best to part ways.
It’s possible Ohio State already has a prized recruit it plans to hand the keys to for 2024 or perhaps the Buckeyes already have their eyes on a better quarterback in the portal.
McCord was not the only other top-tier quarterback to hit the transfer portal on Monday morning.
Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel announced he would be leaving the Sooners after two seasons.
“My time in the palace was a game time experience I will never forget. Sooner Nation, you held me accountable and I am better for it,” Gabriel, who has one year of eligibility left, wrote on social media.
“Coach BV (Brett Venables), my coaches, and the football staff, I am grateful for your care, knowledge and insight. Most of all, thanks for your faith in me and the opportunity to lead and be a member of OU’s team.”
Gabriel led Oklahoma to an upset win over Texas — the Longhorns’ only loss of the season – but losses to Kansas and Oklahoma State cost the Sooners a spot in the Big 12 title game.
Other notable quarterbacks in the portal include Washington State’s Cameron Ward and UCLA’s Dante Moore.
Ohio State’s Ryan Day did not give McCord a vote of confidence when asked Sunday about the junior, who was ESPN’s No. 32 recruit in the 2021 class.
“When you come up short, the bottom line is you got to look at everything, because you didn’t get it done, and that’s the thing that is just sobering here,” Day said, according to ESPN. “At 11-1, you come up short on the last possession, it’s just not good enough.
“So you got to look at everything, and we will look at everything.”
McCord had a solid season for the Buckeyes, throwing for 3,170 yards and tossing 24 touchdowns compared to just six interceptions.
However, in what likely was his last game with Ohio State, he threw a game-ending interception in the fourth quarter against Michigan that sealed the 30-24 loss.
He also threw an earlier interception that led to a Michigan touchdown.
That loss kept Ohio State out of the College Football Playoff for the second time in three years, and the Buckeyes will instead play Missouri in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on Dec. 29.
“As time went on, Kyle got better as the season went on,” Day said, per 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.”
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