Marvin Harrison Jr., Other OSU Players React to Kyle McCord Entering Portal

College football’s transfer portal officially opened on Monday, and the starting quarterback for one of the sport’s premier programs wasted no time in entering it.

Ohio State QB Kyle McCord has put his name in the transfer portal. The junior threw for 3,170 yards with 24 touchdowns and six interceptions, while completing 65.8 percent of his passes, in his first season as the Buckeyes’ starter. McCord led Ohio State to an 11-1 record and received third-team All-Big Ten recognition last week.

“I’m extremely thankful for my time at Ohio State,” McCord posted on X, formerly Twitter. “Playing in the scarlet and gray was truly an honor. I’m grateful for all of the life-long relationships I’ve made along the way here in Columbus. My teammates, my brothers, I’m appreciative for each and every one of you.”

McCord went on to thank Ohio State head coach Ryan Day and Buckeye nation before confirming he is entering the portal to explore other opportunities. And in doing so, the former five-star recruit out of Philadelphia may be the prize of the offseason for a QB-needy team.

Here’s how the Buckeyes are reacting to the move, plus what’s next in their QB room.

Ohio State Players React to McCord’s Exit

McCord’s decision came as a shock to college football fans and a few of his Ohio State teammates were apparently caught off guard, too. OSU cornerback Jermaine Mathews Jr. posted on X, formerly Twitter, that “College Football Da Wild Wild West” in response to the move.

Mathews was one of many Buckeyes to react on social media to McCord’s departure. OSU wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.—one of the top prospects in the upcoming NFL draft should he declare—also posted a photo reminiscing on his time with McCord. The QB-WR duo were record-setting teammates in high school before their collegiate careers.

Running back TreVeyon Henderson posted a lengthy message saluting McCord.

“Love my brother man,” Henderson said on X, formerly Twitter. “What you dealt with and sacrificed this whole [season] to be out on that field when you didn’t have to man, no one could ever question your toughness and your [willingness] to give it your all for this team. A true team player, God has a great plan for you brotha.”

Ohio State QB Room Without McCord

McCord beat out Devin Brown in an offseason QB battle to earn the starting role in Columbus after spending two seasons behind C.J. Stroud. And his first season under center had its share of ups and downs.

The ups? Leading Ohio State on a game-winning drive, which included a critical completion on third-and-19, on the road against Notre Dame is a good place to start. The downs? An ankle injury that hampered him late in the year. Plus there are the two interceptions he threw in a 30-24 loss to rival Michigan that eliminated Ohio State from Big Ten title contention and ultimately cost the Buckeyes a better shot at making the College Football Playoff.

Rather than earning a spot in the top four, No. 7 Ohio State—ranked No. 1 by the selection committee earlier this season—will play No. 9 Missouri in the Cotton Bowl on December 29.

Even before McCord transferred, though, it wasn’t a sure thing that he was going to start for the Buckeyes in that game. Day was noncommittal about McCord retaining his QB1 status for Ohio State next season during a recent press conference, and also declined to confirm that he would start against Missouri.

“We’ll just kind of see how practice goes,” Day told reporters.

He added: “Kyle got better as the season went on. 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.”

Day mentioned that Ohio State’s other quarterbacks would have opportunities to compete for reps ahead of the Missouri matchup. And now with McCord’s exit, that’s certainly the case.

The Buckeyes have three other scholarship quarterbacks on their roster, per The Columbus Dispatch. That includes Brown, Tristan Gebbia, and Lincoln Kienholz. Gebbia is a seventh-year senior who transferred from Oregon State and is in his last year of eligibility. The other two can return next season. Ohio State also has Air Noland, a five-star prospect, coming in as part of its 2024 recruiting class.