Ohio State junior quarterback Kyle McCord is looking to take over on the field this upcoming season for the Buckeyes, but as of now, he’s already being more outspoken about what Ohio State can do to get better next year after back-to-back losses to Michigan.
In an interview with ESPN’s Heather Dinich, McCord said the last two seasons for Ohio State were “complete failures,” and that an 11-2 finish does not cut it for the Buckeyes.
“You don’t beat The Team Up North, you don’t win a national championship, you don’t achieve any of your goals,” he said. “It definitely speaks volumes that 11-2 at a lot of schools, that’s great, but not here.”
That is a sentiment that has been echoed by everyone from head coach Ryan Day all the way down to the players, and it’s a mindset that is shared by McCord. He is entrenched in a battle with redshirt freshman quarterback Devin Brown to be under center for Ohio State this fall, and whoever wins will be looking to lead the Buckeyes back to a win over Michigan and a Big Ten Championship, a feat Ohio State hasn’t accomplished in the same season since 2019.
In speaking with Dinich, Day was complementary of both quarterbacks fighting for the starting job, saying that McCord is “very accurate” and “very intelligent,” and he understands how defenses try to attack Ohio State.
“He understands the offense. This is his third year in the offense,” Day said. “He’s done a good job of really changing his body in the offseason. I think he’s moving around very well. He’s got good strength, strong arm accurate. And he’s competitive and very intelligent.”
As for Brown, Day said he has similar traits to McCord and has learned the offensive quickly despite only being on campus for a little over a year.
I’ve been very impressed with the amount of information he’s been able to process in a short period of time,” Day said. “Very good athlete, can move and change direction very well. Got some strength to him, strong arm. And again, very competitive.”
