Ohio State Buckeyes player Lincoln Kienholz enters transfer portal
Following the Buckeyes’ failure to make the playoffs, Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord entered his name into the transfer portal on Monday morning. The news was initially broken by Adam Rittenhouse of ESPN. McCord started 12 games for the Buckeyes as a junior in 2023, throwing for 3,170 yards and 24 touchdowns against six interceptions after defeating Devin Brown for the starting position during the preseason. McCord’s decision to enter the portal is somewhat surprising considering that he would have likely started the 2024 campaign firmly established as the team’s starter.
Additionally, Ohio State does not appear to have a clear 5-star replacement on the roster. According to 247Sports, incoming freshman Air Noland was rated as a 4-star recruit, joining Brown, McCord, and Lincoln Kienholz as highly regarded 4-star options. Since the early Urban Meyer days, Ohio State’s quarterback position has been among the best in the country for over ten years, so it’s unexpected that McCord might give it up.
“As the season progressed, Kyle improved,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said to reporters on Sunday. Had some of those ankle problems that he overcame; he proved his toughness in that situation. In the game against Notre Dame, he performed exceptionally well in the latter stages. Thus, I believe there was progress made there, without a doubt, and I believe he is a capable quarterback. Every year at this time, you take stock of everything and try to determine the best course of action. However, I believe that this year saw a lot of progress made.”
Power Five teams will be eager to sign McCord, but some Ohio State supporters may be prepared to let go as well. Even though McCord had good numbers, they were not as good as those of Justin Fields and C.J. Stroud. McCord seemed uneasy, especially considering how little mobility he had in the pocket in comparison to his predecessors.
Perhaps McCord’s two interceptions in the team’s loss to rival Michigan last month, along with the response to that performance, was reason enough for him to search for better opportunities.
QB Kyle McCord of Ohio State accesses the NCAA transfer portal.
The Dispatch confirmed that Kyle McCord entered his name in the NCAA transfer portal as soon as it opened on Monday, significantly altering the quarterback room at Ohio State.
Following a close offseason competition that continued into the early weeks of the season, McCord emerged victorious over Devin Brown to start behind center.
McCord completed 65.8% of his passes for 3,170 yards and 24 touchdowns against six interceptions in his first season as a starter. Last week, he was named to the third team of the Big Ten.
But it was unclear how he would be starting going forward.
When he met with reporters, Buckeyes coach Ryan Day was hesitant to say whether McCord would start as a senior next season or even for the Cotton Bowl at the end of this month.
Day stated that prior to the Dec. 29 game against Missouri, all of the passers would have the chance to compete for reps. Along with Brown, the Buckeyes also have Lincoln Kienholz and Tristan Gebbia as scholarship quarterbacks.
While Brown and Kienholz are eligible to return the following season, and Air Noland, a five-star quarterback from suburban Atlanta, is scheduled to sign as part of the 2024 recruiting class in two weeks, Gebbia, a seventh-year senior who transferred from Oregon State, is in his final year of eligibility.
Since Day replaced Urban Meyer as head coach in 2019, the Buckeyes have benefited from outstanding quarterback play.In addition to Dwayne Haskins Jr. in Meyer’s final season in 2018, Justin Fields, C.J. Stroud, and Meyer were all Heisman Trophy finalists in their first seasons of play.
However, McCord experienced more highs and lows this autumn, particularly since a left ankle injury seemed to affect him in the latter part of the year.
In a 30-24 loss to Michigan, he passed for 271 yards and two touchdowns, but he was also picked off twice, preventing the Buckeyes from making it to the College Football Playoffs or winning the Big Ten. Of the two interceptions, the first proved to be especially expensive because it happened when Ohio State was deep within its own territory in the
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