Kyle McCord embraces the process, sees bigger picture in Ohio State offense

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Kyle McCord really isn’t in any rush.

Last season, the sophomore quarterback said each member of the room – C.J. Stroud, Jack Miller III and Quinn Ewers — came in with the same mindset of just working their hardest, competing every day. Once Stroud won the starting job, that mindset continued for those behind him, with McCord saying his, Miller and Ewers’ mindset never changed, never fixating on the offseason that lay ahead for their full room.

But McCord couldn’t explain that in 280 characters on Twitter or as a caption to a picture on Instagram.

Instead, he barely went on social media, not seeing the things he was tagged in. Instead, he blocked everything out and focused on what he felt was important, things those not in the program may have not understood.

“Especially now with the transfer portal, I feel like if something isn’t going the way I expected it to, fans or even a player might think I can just put my name in the portal and change the situation like that," McCord said. "I think you just have to see the bigger picture of it. What more could I want, being at a school like this, getting coached by the best coaches in the world? I didn’t even really think about it at all, to be honest. You just have to see the bigger picture.”

McCord got his chance. He got his first taste of college football, starting against Akron along with spurts of action against Rutgers, Maryland, Indiana and Michigan State.

But he wasn’t comfortable.

That didn’t come until he could breathe a bit during Rose Bowl practice with both Ewers and Miller in the transfer portal and no other player to compete with behind Stroud.

“Getting all those reps were huge,” McCord said. “I think that’s really where I started to take steps forward and used that as momentum heading into the offseason.”

As he participated in his second spring camp, McCord was a different quarterback.

Head coach Ryan Day sees a quarterback that’s more comfortable heading into his second season in the offense, showing improvement in his anticipation of routes and throwing the ball on time, giving him better judgments in terms of overall decision making.

The 6-foot-3, 220 pound quarterback was more mature, more mobile around the pocket, Stroud noticed.

“He’s getting a lot more reps just being himself,” Stroud said. “I think your first year is kind of more so, you’re just trying to fill it out, and I think that’s a good thing that he’s done. This year, I think he’s just putting his foot down and being a leader and trying to help our offense be better.”

That’s how Day sees McCord: a quarterback who is embracing the process.

“He’s competitive. He wants to be at Ohio State,” Day said. “He’s made that clear to us and he’s going to be ready in that first game if he needs to be in that game.

“That’s the thing. You know when you feel like you’re the backup, sometimes you feel like you’re miles away, but you’re only one snap away. And I think he understands that and he understands what it means to be developed and I think that’s what his focus has been on.”

McCord doesn’t feel he’s miles away. But he also doesn’t like to think about how close he is either.

As he prepares for his second season with the Ohio State offense, the sophomore said he’s not driven by being the heir apparent to Stroud after he likely leaves after this season. Instead, he’s remained in the present. He’s stayed strong, staying where his feet are.

And he’s working.

Looking back, McCord said, that’s one of the main things he’s most proud of. He’s never stopped working.

“There’s been a lot of different obstacles thrown my way, whether it was Quinn coming in early and being in a crowded quarterback room or not really knowing what my role was going to be on the team, just putting my head down and working,” McCord said.

“I think there were a lot of points where I could have gotten down on myself and let myself go, but I think I stood tall and stayed strong.”

Does McCord want to play in 2022? Absolutely. But he’s focused on the long term.

He’s really in no rush.