Perhaps that was the last time the Day-McCord combination seemed like a match made in heaven.
McCord startled the collegiate football community on Monday by using the NCAA transfer site. Four days later, the starting quarterback for the Buckeyes concluded his semester and returned to his family’s New Jersey home to weigh his options. On Sunday, he gave Syracuse his commitment.
McCord’s parting from Ohio State was finalized quickly. But it was a long time in the making.
The decision to leave was McCord’s. Ohio State wanted him to return for his senior season, sources told The Dispatch. He would have been the front-runner to start again in 2024.
But McCord wanted Day’s assurance that he would be the starter. Day declined to commit to that.
Part of that was because the request came just days after a painful loss to Michigan. Everyone was still processing that defeat, and Day didn’t want to make a hurried decision.
Part of it also is that it’s simply anathema for coaches to guarantee anyone a starting job. Sometimes, though, such assurance doesn’t need to be said. Nobody questioned whether C.J. Stroud would again be the starter in 2022.
In McCord’s case, Day never fully embraced him as the quarterback he felt could lead the Buckeyes to championships. That was obvious in Day’s press conference following the Cotton Bowl announcement when he was non-committal when asked several times whether McCord would start against Missouri and in 2024.
According to sources, by that point, there was some uncertainty among Ohio State supporters regarding McCord’s transfer intentions, even though the quarterback had not officially registered with the portal until the following morning.
McCord also considered pay for likeness, name, and image. According to a source, top quarterbacks on the transfer portal have received offers above $1 million.
According to sources, McCord was earning far less money this season than that from NIL and desired more, but OSU was unwilling to provide it. McCord chose to search elsewhere due to the uncertainties around NIL and the lack of guarantee regarding commencing.
In 2024, McCord will be a senior. As a freshman, he was eligible to redshirt. Early in the season, he participated in four games, starting one against Akron in Stroud’s absence due to injury. Day then started him in the next-to-last regular season game, a rout of Michigan State.
The McCord camp was incensed that he was not eligible for a redshirt after that fifth game. With just a year remaining on his eligibility, McCord felt he had to go somewhere he was certain he would make a good impression.
At Ohio State, that was no assurance. This year, his and Devin Brown’s competition went longer than anticipated. In 2022, McCord served as Stroud’s main backup. Last year, Brown failed to complete a pass as a freshman.
However, the contest went on forever. Brown had really gained ground until a few careless sessions toward the end of training camp.
Day didn’t declare McCord the competition’s winner until after the second game, despite the fact that his increased consistency won him the starting position versus Indiana in the season opener.
It was evidence that McCord and Day were not quite finished. Their different personalities had a part in it. McCord is calm and collected by nature. Day prefers his quarterbacks to have more ferocity.
McCord was a victim of unfortunate timing, in a sense. Dwayne Haskins Jr., Justin Fields, and Stroud were the three Heisman Trophy contenders that came before him. Every one of them have a unique quality. Haskins and Stroud were exceptional passers with touch and powerful, precise arms. Fields was a nearly unmatched dual threat.
McCord lacks a transcendent skill. His arm is certainly good, and he makes some difficult throws, particularly to the sideline, look easy. And though he’s not a statue, he’s merely an adequate runner. He was less so after spraining his ankle against Notre Dame.
During that particular game, McCord made history as a Buckeye. He made multiple clutch throws to extend the drive and guided Ohio State to a game-winning score in the final seconds. However, he also avoided a disastrous play on that last drive when a Notre Dame defender failed to make an interception that would have won the game.
That McCord was all year long a mixed bag. Ohio State won its first 11 games because of him. He completed 65.8 percent of his passes for 3,170 yards, 24 touchdowns, and just six interceptions.
He didn’t seem to improve his teammates’ play, either, and he was prone to poor starts.
The fact that Ohio State’s top skill-position players—receiver Emeka Egbuka, tight end Cade Stover, and running back TreVeyon Henderson—missed time due to injury and that the Buckeyes’ offensive line faltered for the most of the season did not help. However, he was also fortunate to have Marvin Harrison Jr., a wide receiver who can make any quarterback seem good, as a high school teammate from St. Joseph’s Prep, who is the finest receiver in the nation.
In summary, Ohio State’s offensive was more likely to falter than to succeed. 32.8 points are scored by the Buckeyes on average per game. Under Day, they averaged over 40 points every other year.
The fact that Day’s public acclaim for McCord was typically restrained—not inherently negative, but also not overly enthusiastic—was telling.
Day too needed some time to fully accept Stroud. Day gives his quarterbacks rigorous coaching because he thinks the crucible will improve them. According to Stroud, he had the impression that Day didn’t like him throughout his first year. However, when Stroud became a superstar, Day frequently showered him with praise.
However, McCord was only in his third year, thus that never actually took place. That was something McCord couldn’t help but notice, and it played a part in his eventual departure.
McCord would have been guiding the Buckeyes into a College Football Playoff quarterfinal and probably wouldn’t have thought about moving if Ohio State had defeated Michigan.
However, it didn’t occur, and it felt infinitely worse to lose to the Wolverines for the third time in a row. Throughout the game, McCord stood apart from Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Before deciding on McCord, Day also targeted McCarthy, who has been a Buckeye killer for the last two seasons.
When rushed out of the pocket, McCarthy frequently made unexpected plays by improvising with his legs. He was outstanding against the Buckeyes last month. The ability is becoming more and more important in college football.
McCord isn’t very good at that. However, it should be mentioned that McCord was limited throughout the Michigan game due to an ankle sprain. The previous week, when Day decided not to run the clock out with the ball deep in OSU territory, he was hurt late in the first half against Minnesota.
Against Michigan, McCord threw two interceptions, both of which could have been avoided if he hadn’t been struck as he released the ball in the last one.
It turned out to be McCord’s final pass as a Buckeye.
