Former Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord will transfer to Syracuse, he announced Sunday. McCord visited Nebraska this week but moved on from the program without a commitment. He is the No. 39 overall player and No. 10 quarterback in the transfer portal.
Syracuse initially extended McCord a scholarship offer during his recruitment as a four-star high school prospect ranked as the No. 49 prospect and No. 8 quarterback in the class of 2021. Philadelphia St. Joseph’s product is a regional fit for the Orange, which is in the midst of an overhaul after the firing of longtime head coach Dino Babers and the hiring of Georgia defensive backs coach Fran Brown as his replacement.
McCord completed 65.8% of his passes this year, amassing 3,170 yards and 24 touchdowns while throwing six interceptions en route to third-team All-Big Ten honors. He helped guide Ohio State to 11 straight wins to open the season. A win over Michigan likely would have led to a College Football Playoff berth for McCord and Co.
Syracuse could benefit from an upgrade at quarterback after struggling mightily on the offensive side of the ball throughout the 2023 season. The Orange experienced a midseason lull, scoring no more than 14 points in a game during a five-game losing streak that included disappointing defeats at the hands of Virginia Tech and Boston College.
Garrett Shrader spent the majority of the season as Syracuse’s starting quarterback, completing 134 of 214 passes for 13 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also rushed 113 times for an additional 469 yards and eight scores. The veteran quarterback is a three-year starter for the Orange and brings five years of total experience into his final year of eligibility. He has yet to announce a decision on whether to utilize that sixth year.
McCord will play under offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon on Brown’s inaugural staff. Nixon brings with him 27 years of coaching experience, including three years as a collegiate offensive coordinator. He is in his first season with the Giants after spending the 2020–22 season in various roles with the Carolina Panthers, including a stint as the franchise’s interim offensive coordinator.
During his time as the co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach at Baylor, Nixon led a resurgence that ultimately saw the Bears rank 17th nationally in scoring during the 2019 season. Baylor improved upon its win total each year throughout his tenure under head coach Matt Rhule and ranked inside the top 20 in total offense during the 2018 and 2019 campaigns.
Nixon, a State College, Pa. native and Penn State alumnus, began his coaching career in 1997 as a graduate assistant with the Nittany Lions. He then made stops at Princeton, Shippensburg, Chattanooga and Temple as a position coach before moving on to the NFL. His professional stops included stints with the Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers before his most recent tenures with the Panthers and Giants.
