Incoming Freshman Quarterback Kyle McCord Enrolling Early at Ohio State
Class of 2021 star quarterback from the Philadelphia area Kyle McCord isn't shy about competing and he's ready to take that attitude to Columbus.
McCord, as anyone would be, was crushed to learn that his senior year wasn't going to happen this fall. McCord and future Buckeye teammate Marvin Harrison Jr. play for St. Joseph's Prep in Philly, where the Philadelphia Catholic League announced there would be no football this fall.
No matter what happens with a rescheduled season, McCord told Eleven Warriors that he's made up his mind - he's going to early enroll at Ohio State.
“Whatever happens, I’ve already talked to my coach about it. I’m gonna early enroll either way,” McCord said, adding that Harrison is likely to enroll early as well, though he said he doesn’t want to speak for his teammate. “That was the decision I made once this whole thing went kind of crazy and states started canceling. I just made my mind up that early enrolling was gonna be the best decision for me, especially with how hard I worked academically to be able to do it, it would kind of just go to waste if I didn’t. I’d miss out on my last high school season if it does get pushed to spring so I’m hoping that doesn’t happen. But either way, I’m gonna early enroll.
McCord is a five-star prospect and a 2020 SI All-American candidate. Perhaps one of the lesser considered angles of this chaotic mess in the Big Ten is the lack of meaningful reps that quarterbacks C.J. Stroud and Jack Miller have taken for Ohio State. Even though the NCAA Football Oversight Committee ruled this week that early-enrollees would not be eligible to play in a Big Ten spring season, if Justin Fields opts not to play this spring, McCord would have an opportunity to make an immediate and lasting impact on the coaching staff.
“That would be awesome, to be able to step in that quarterback room early,” McCord told Eleven Warriors. “If Justin stays, that would be great to be able to sit behind him for a year and learn how he prepares throughout the week and prepare for some of the stuff I haven’t seen yet and kind of learn from his ways a little bit. But if he leaves, it would be an open battle in the quarterback room, and that would be a great situation to walk into and have a chance to compete for the job literally as soon as I step foot on campus. Either way, it’s a win-win situation, I think, just walking in that quarterback room and into that situation.”
Stay tuned to BuckeyesNow and all of our social media outlets (@BuckeyesNowSI) on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube for continued coverage!