Ohio State has landed a verbal commitment from 2021 quarterback Kyle McCord (St. Joseph’s / Philadelphia, PA).
McCord (6-3 204) is the No. 8 pocket passer in the nation per 247Sports and the No. 113 player overall.
McCord tweeted out the commitment Tuesday morning. He chose Ohio State over offers from Michigan, Penn State, Texas A&M, North Carolina, Arizona, Penn, Princeton, and several others.
The Buckeyes offered McCord back in January and from that point on he became one of their top targets.
McCord completed 201-of-302 passes last season for 2,883 yards and 35 touchdowns.
Here’s 247’s evaluation of McCord as a quarterback.
Wide-shouldered frame with good height and size. Strong arm and accurate. Spins ball well. Poised under pressure. Great leadership qualities. Plays with high IQ. Can throw 15-yard out on line. Touch to throw over linebackers on intermediate routes. Has quick release with good arm angle. Fits balls into tight windows. Accurate throwing on run. Moves in pocket. Extends plays. Needs to continue to develop escapability. More consistency needed on deep balls. Multi-year starter at top 15 program. Projects to be an early round NFL draft pick.
Earlier this month, McCord won the quarterback MVP at The Opening Regional in New Jersey.
McCord is now the second commitment in the 2021 class for the Buckeyes. He joins 5-star defensive end Jack Sawyer, who is the No. 1 defensive end in the class and the No. 2 player overall.
McCord was one of seven quarterbacks that Ohio State offered in the 2021 class. It will be interesting to see if he is the last quarterback they take.
McCord is also teammates with one of the Buckeyes’ top receiver targets in 4-star prospect Marvin Harrison Jr. Both have visited Ohio State on multiple occasions. The photo below also includes linebacker teammate Jeremiah Trotter Jr.
Buckeye nation what do you think?? #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/pkZbrp92d6
— Kyle McCord (@kylemccord16) February 2, 2019
The commitment from McCord was not unexpected. The Buckeyes have been pulling away for a while now. Will his commitment convince Harrison (No. 6 WR/No. 51 overall) to join the fold sooner rather than later?
Harrison’s Crystal Ball is currently 100% Ohio State on six predictions.
The OSU quarterback situation has been in a flux for the better part of a year now, but head coach Ryan Day has put in a lot of work to get everything righted. Having Jack Miller committed in 2020 and now Kyle McCord for 2021 is a strong foundation for the move forward.
In an effort to fix the QB transfer problem should McCord gray shirt thus putting an extra year between him and Miller?
That’s not an option. QBs today who spend so much money and time on their crafts even before college aren’t going to waste a year with a grayshirt. Plus, they need as many scholarship QBs on the roster as quickly as possible. This isn’t Todd Boeckman trying to get a year of clearance from Troy Smith and THEN redshirting. Grayshirting isn’t done to players at the top of recruiting classes.