How Does Ohio State Buckeyes QB Kyle McCord's Spring Game Stack Up?

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Kyle McCord's showing in the spring game drew mixed reviews, as he continues to battle with Devin Brown for the starting job.

Author:
Harrison Reno
Apr 16, 2023 10:21 AM EDT

In this story:

Ohio State Buckeyes

Sophomore quarterback Kyle McCord came into Saturday's scrimmage with some really big shoes to fill. Without Devin Brown due to a finger, McCord was put under the microscope and tasked with following up two-time Heisman finalist C.J. Stroud as the signal caller in the spring game.

How did McCord's performance stack up against Stroud's and Justin Fields'? Who was the common comparison brought up by the Big Ten Network's broadcast team?

McCord and the Buckeyes' offense overcame a slow start, completing 18 of his 34 passes for 184 yards and a touchdown.

Not a bad day at the office for the young sophomore, and while it didn't quite look like Stroud's first spring game post-Fields, he did have a better showing than the current Chicago Bears' quarterback in 2018, who only completed four of his 13 passes.

And while McCord's public debut in the quarterback competition won't blow the roof off the Woody Hayes Athletic Center either when the staff goes back to watch the tape, it should be a sign of potentially good things to come.

McCord, known for his prowess inside the pocket coming out of high school, as opposed to Brown, who is more adept as a runner, did show some mobility as he had to move in and out of the pocket.

Yet as head coach Ryan Day pointed out in his post-game press conference, they didn't get to see the full picture due to some limitations with injuries to key players.

“I think what you saw in the game was similar to what you've seen in practice. Some good things, some things that you'd like to see a little bit better. But he's growing,” Day said of McCord. “I think that the picture sometimes was clean, other times not as clean. I think Marvin only played a couple drives there and then he was out, and certainly not having Emeka and Julian and those guys."

Day did finish by highlighting the 37-yard touchdown pass to Carnell Tate and said that he'd seen improvements from McCord over the 15 practices.