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Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord made headlines this week when he decided to enter the winter transfer portal.
McCord was named the Buckeyes’ starting quarterback at the start of the season, beating out Devin Brown. The junior had 3,170 passing yards and 24 touchdown passes as Ohio State went 11-1 during the regular season. The team’s lone loss came against Michigan last month.
The Buckeyes are slated to play Missouri in the Cotton Bowl later this month. It remains unclear whether McCord will suit up for the game.
Unsurprisingly, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day was noncommittal when asked about McCord’s status.
Former Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer during a College Football Playoff semifinal between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Clemson Tigers at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium Dec. 28, 2019, in Glendale, Ariz. (Ralph Freso/Getty Images)
Urban Meyer, who won a national championship during his head coaching stint at Ohio State, spoke to On3.com and touched on McCord’s surprising decision to test the waters via the transfer portal.
“That made no sense,” Meyer said. “I’m still trying to comprehend it. I tried to take a position of Kyle or even Ohio State, and it just doesn’t compute.”
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Aside from trying to make sense of McCord’s logic, Meyers said that even if another football program offers the quarterback a position as a starter, it likely would not create a better situation than what Ohio State presented.
Kyle McCord of the Ohio State Buckeyes during a game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights Nov. 4, 2023, at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, N.J. (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“I’m trying to make it compute because I want to be empathetic and I want to say, ‘OK, I understand.’ There’s no place better for Kyle than Ohio State. That place does not exist, unless he’s being guaranteed a starting spot,” Meyer said.
“But, once again, I don’t agree with that’s the best place. I think iron sharpens iron, steel sharpens steel. The best thing that anybody can ever do is go and compete your tail off, get better and maximize who you are as a player.”
Kyle McCord (6) of the Ohio State Buckeyes scrambles to the end zone against the Michigan Wolverines during the second quarter Nov. 25, 2023, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Meyer insisted his comments were not made to rip McCord. He instead doubled-down on his belief that Columbus is the best place for the quarterback to play football.
“I’m not ripping Kyle at all, because I don’t know him. I admire him, and I think he was in a tough situation all year. But, yeah, I didn’t dig in too hard because I don’t want to. But it does not compute with me. I guess I love Ohio State, and I think competition brings out the best in you,” Meyer said.
“If he goes to a better place than Ohio State, I’ll be the first one to say he went to a better place. I just don’t know.”
