FOX College Football Analyst Makes Absurd Claim About JJ McCarthy, Kyle McCord
There are "hot takes", and then there are just really, really bad takes. FOX college football analyst RJ Young has developed a bit of a reputation for providing the latter, and his argument regarding Kyle McCord and JJ McCarthy is a perfect example of that.
During one of his recent podcast segments, Young attempted to make the argument that Kyle McCord has done more at Ohio State than JJ McCarthy has done at Michigan.
"I would argue that Kyle McCord did more at Ohio State than JJ McCarthy did at Michigan, and that still isn't good enough because...well...Michigan beat Ohio State. So JJ did enough for Michigan to win, and Kyle McCord threw two interceptions in that game."
In such a relatively short statement, young gave plenty to unpack with his argument.
If we're strictly looking at statistics in the 2023 season, a better argument can be made that McCarthy is the clear leader. His completion percentage of 74.2 percent is 8.4 points higher than that of McCord (65.8 percent). According to ESPN, McCarthy has a quarterback rating of 89.2, while McCord comes in at 83.7. The Buckeye quarterback did have 16 more completions, but he also had 61 more passing attempts. McCord also had five more touchdown passes than McCarthy in 2023 (24 to 19), but he also threw two more interceptions (6-4).
Statistically speaking, I'm not sure how RJ Young gives the edge to McCord.
When it comes to winning the games that matter most, McCarthy is the clear leader over McCord. Michigan's QB1 currently has a 2-0 record against the Buckeyes as a starter, while McCord is now at 0-1. As a starter, McCarthy has two Big Ten Championship wins under his belt, McCord has none. In fact, McCarthy is a perfect 25-0 as the starter for Michigan in regular season play over the last two seasons, which is one of the reasons he was recently named 2023 Big Ten Quarterback of the Year.
As McCarthy and the Wolverines prepare for another run at the national championship in this year's College Football Playoff, McCord is currently in the transfer portal searching for a new home.
It's worth mentioning that Kyle McCord is a good quarterback who put together a solid season at Ohio State. The Buckeyes went 11-1 with McCord as the starter, and it's clear that he has the ability to be a starter at most power five programs. With that being said, there is no reasonable argument that can be made to suggest that McCord has done more at Ohio State than McCarthy has done at Michigan.
