COLUMBUS, Ohio — Kyle McCord has finally broken his silence since transferring from Ohio State after three years in the program and spending 2023 as its starting quarterback.

McCord went 11-1 last season — 12-1 overall as a starter — this past season though the Buckeyes once again fell short against Michigan and missed out on a chance to win the Big Ten or make the College Football Playoff. In those games, he completed 65.8% of his passes for 3,170 yards and 24 touchdowns. They were quality numbers, but not up quite what has become the expectation in Columbus, nor good enough for him to feel comfortable sticking around for 2024.

That reality is what landed the former five-star recruit in the transfer portal landing at Syracuse under new head coach Fran Brown. He hasn’t spoken publicly since that 30-24 loss to the Wolverines leaving room for speculation for why he chose to leave. Until now.

As a guest on the The QB Room podcast hosted by Jordan Palmer and Kyle Allen, McCord went into detail for why left OSU.

“The top level of college football is a business,” McCord said. “At the end of the day, Ohio State had to make a business decision they felt like was best for them and I had to do the same thing. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be for next year. At the end of the day, I felt like I put together some solid games and had some good tape. So I was confident I would find a good home.”

McCord also used the platform to push back on any other narratives that may exist as to why he left such as a report from The Columbus Dispatch released last month that revealed the reasons he chose to transfer. Those reasons ranged from wanting more NIL money and assurance that he would be the starting quarterback in 2024. Neither of which Ohio State was willing to commit to.

“A news outlet from Columbus hit me up to do a story and I didn’t answer it,” McCord said. “Hit my family up to do a story, they didn’t answer. Hit people up in my circle to do a story, nobody answered. Then the next day, you go online, and they have an article published of the five reasons I left.

“You read them and it’s just a bunch of BS. They’re just kind of pulling at strings at that point. The narrative, people read that and they think that’s true and so they start believing in it and posting it and it just kind of snowballs. When you don’t really speak up about it, it is what it is.”

The more than 40-minute-long interview also featured a discussion on his reasoning for choosing Syracuse and an inside look on how NIL may be impacting college football. That included McCord revealing conversations he’s had with former teammates on the subject.

“Schools know they have X amount of money and they have to distribute it accordingly,” McCord said. “Each guy feels like they have a certain value and they set themselves at that value and I think a lot of it is weighing the pros and cons.

“It’s crazy. I talked to some of my guys from Ohio State, and hearing the numbers they’re getting from schools and they’re trying to compare (thinking), ‘I know I can get on the field here, but the money’s not as good as it is here.’ I think it’s nuts with NIL and the way things are right now, it’s free agency.”

You can watch the full interview below:

Buckeyes in the Pro Bowl

Two former Ohio State football players have been selected to play in the 2024 Pro Bowl.

Nick Bosa will represent the 49ers as a starter with his fourth Pro Bowl selection. The NFL’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year has recorded 52 total tackles with 10.5 sacks, 16 tackles for loss and a league-leading 35 quarterback hits. He’s helped San Francisco to clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC for the playoff.

Denzel Ward has been part of one of the league’s best defenses for the Browns while getting his third selection doing so as a reserve. Cleveland leads the league in yards allowed per game (266.6) while Ward has recorded 34 total tackles with 11 passes defended, two interceptions, one forced fumble and one tackle for loss. He’s been targeted 66 times in coverage resulting in 34 catches for 467 yards and three touchdowns.

The Pro Bowl will be played on Sunday, Feb. 4.

Key dates

• College Football Playoff National Championship: 4 days, Jan. 8, 2024
• NFL Draft underclassman entry deadline: 10 days, Jan. 15, 2024
• Regular signing period: 34 days, Feb. 7-April 1, 2024
• NFL Scouting Combine: 54 days, Feb. 27-March 4, 2024
• 2024 opener vs. Southern Miss: 240 days, Aug. 31, 2024
• The Game 2024: 331 days