Ohio State Buckeyes: After Kyle McCord’s Unexpected Transfer, OSU Finally Lands Starting QB For 2024

Ultimately, Ohio State ended up with a 11-2 record and finished No. 7 in the College Football rankings — and while that kind of season doesn’t align with the expectations of donors and the fan base — it was hardly a terrible year for the first-year starter.

Yet suddenly, almost immediately after the finale where the Buckeyes fell to the Wolverines and were knocked out of contending for a national title, McCord entered the transfer portal.

Reports surfaced OSU head coach Ryan Day Day’s refused to commit to  Kyle McCord as the starter moving forward — and that coupled with the commitment of Air Noland in the 2024 recruiting class —the former highly touted signal caller ended up at Syracuse, which felt like a major step down.

Apparently McCord’s familiarity with new Syracuse head coach Fran Brown and his coaching staff was a major factor in his decision to transfer to play for Orange football. He knows not only Brown, but also Nunzio Campanile and Jeff Nixon, currently the New York Giants’ run game coordinator who is expected to be Syracuse’s offensive coordinator moving forward.

Kyle McCord believes Syracuse is the perfect fit and maybe he ends up being the missing piece to propel the program back into relevance.

“I think the experience on the coaching staff is extremely important,” McCord told ESPN. “It was a big factor in my decision. Just being at a place where I can be surrounded with good players. They’ve done some good things on the portal trail, bringing in some guys from Georgia and other places. All of that, when you combine it, makes it an appealing destination.”

McCord also told ESPN he knows other New Jersey-area football players currently on the Orange’s roster in Denis Jaquez Jr. and Alijah Clark.

Ohio State Buckeyes Land Kyle McCord’s Replacement, Highly Touted QB Will Howard From Kansas State

Shortly after McCord’s transfer, it felt like the Ohio State coaching staff already had a plan in place to replace their starting signal caller.

They were attached to former Washington State QB Cam Ward, who ultimately declared for the NFL Draft. Former Duke QB Riley Leonard was rumored to be on their radar before committing to Notre Dame. Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel seemed like a viable option until the dual-threat passer committed to Oregon.

And as time passed and the top quarterbacks in the portal were committing to other schools, Ohio State Buckeyes fans began to get nervous and restless.

Ohio State’s 14-3 loss to Missouri in the Cotton Bowl made things far worse. Without McCord, star WR Marvin Harrison Jr. and a few other key starters from 2023, the Buckeyes put in their worst offensive performance in nearly a decade, and their first game without a touchdown since they were shut out in the 2016 College Football Playoff semi-final by Clemson.

Devin Brown — who beat out McCord for the starting job this offseason before suffering an injury in spring practice — got hurt at the beginning of the game. Fans had no faith he could ever be reliable and healthy in the future.

And then Lincoln Kienholz entered the Bowl game against Mizzou, and things really began to spiral. The Ohio State Buckeyes backup QB finished the game 6-of-17 for 86 yards and the offense literally couldn’t function.

On Thursday night, Buckeyes fans shared a collective sigh of relief.

After nearly a month of speculation about who would be Ohio State’s starting QB in 2024, the Buckeyes landed Kansas State transfer Will Howard, who had strong interest from USC, Miami and other high-profile teams.

“When I started talking to Ohio State, everything kind of lined up,” Howard told ESPN. “I had a list of things I was looking for, in terms of needing to go somewhere where there was a lot of talent around me and……compete for a national championship.”

After taking visits to Miami and USC, he decided on Columbus.

A veteran quarterback, Howard touts a 14-11 record in 25 career starts. His best season came this past fall, throwing for 2,643 yards, 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while completing a career-high 61.3% of his passes.

He led the Wildcats to a 31-28 overtime victory against previously unbeaten TCU in the 2022 Big 12 Championship Game. Howard inherits a talent-packed wide receiver room that includes Carnell Tate, Brandon Inniss and the top-ranked wide receiver in the 2024 class, Jeremiah Smith.

Howard has the kind of talent to help the Ohio State Buckeyes compete for a national title again in 2024, so it’s a big day in Columbus.