5-Star Advice: Kyle McCord

From the book "5-star QB", Q&A with Ohio State transfer Kyle McCord that has Syracuse off to a 2-0 start in his first season with the Orange

There have been 140 quarterbacks in the history of recruiting who were dubbed ‘5-Star QBs.’ While only 1 of those won a Super Bowl and only 20 were drafted in the first round all of those signal callers can offer brilliant insight and advice. Some may be deemed busts by fans, some are transitioning out of football and some are currently playing on Saturdays and Sundays but all have a story and over 50 of them have shared with us some of their most intimate insights into their path from high school to retirement, and everything in between.

In addition, another 50 ambassadors of the game have offered their advice to anyone going through the process of recruiting and quarterback play and their expertise is second to none. 

Each week we will take you inside the minds of those who play quarterback, coached quarterbacks or covered quarterbacks at the highest level and our goal is that the stories shared will impact how you view the game. After all, the goal of Y-Option is to bring thoughtful conversation to the world of college football, through the lens of the West Coast.

This week's contributor of 5-Star Advice is former Ohio State and current Syracuse QB Kyle McCord, who leads the ACC and 2nd in FBS in passing yards per game at 367.5 in his first season with the Orange. With an 8-1 TD/INT ratio through the first 2 games, McCord is hoping to make Fran Brown the first Syracuse head coach since 1991 to start 3-0 in their first season with the Orange. Syracuse and Stanford meet for the first time ever on Friday in what is also the Cardinal’s first ever ACC conference game.

From the book “5-Star QB: It’s Not About the Stars, It’s About the Journey”….

When did you get your first scholarship offer?

I was in 8th grade, 14 years old, at the University of Michigan QB camp. It was a one-day camp that had a few other schools there, outside of U of M. I knew that I was going to be a good player in high school, but wasn’t sure how I would stack up against the older kids at this camp, given that I was going to be the youngest QB there. I started in one of the lower groups and coaches quickly moved me up to the highest group that was filled with high school QBs with multiple D1 offers. Even there, I still was throwing the ball better than those kids and looked very polished. After the camp had ended, Coach John Bonamego from Central Michigan introduced himself to me. We talked for about five minutes and at the end of the conversation he said, “I know you will probably end up at a bigger school than Central Michigan, but I want to be the first one to offer you.” Caught completely off guard, I thanked him and went right to my dad. I really was shocked, and didn’t really know what to say. After posting it on social media, my family and friends from back home were blowing up my phone. From that day forward I knew people would view me in a different light, and hold me to a higher standard.

What was your body of work as a player before being ranked a 5-Star QB?

I was ranked as a 5-Star following my junior year. I had started 2 years of varsity football, 34 games, had a record of 32-2, and won 2 state titles. Combined in the 2 years, I had over 5,000 yards, 70 TDs, and won the Philadelphia Catholic League MVP in both years.