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Kyle McCord’s future was uncertain following a career performance in Syracuse’s Holiday Bowl win. Traditionally, it would’ve been guaranteed his last collegiate game because he no longer had eligibility. But because of college football’s changing landscape, he was fighting to receive a fifth year of eligibility through an appeals process after his initial waiver to the NCAA was declined.

While McCord did the right thing by exploring his options, a return to Syracuse wouldn’t have made sense, even if his waiver was approved. When he arrived at SU after transferring from Ohio State, McCord was a damaged Honda Accord. A year later, he’s a pristine Maserati in the best possible position imaginable to have a path toward an NFL career.

Another year with the Orange could have slightly enhanced that status, but now it’s perfect timing for McCord to leverage his success and move on to the next level. Outside of Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward, who have a fair share of question marks themselves, there isn’t a quarterback locked in as a first-round pick. For comparison, six were selected in the first round in 2024.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, McCord won’t be a first-round pick. That was expected. However, between leading the nation in passing yards, revitalizing SU’s program, and a weak quarterback class, McCord might’ve positioned himself to hear his name selected on Day 2.

“This is one of the weakest (quarterback) classes,” a veteran scout told ESPN’s Pete Thamel. “There’s not a lot of depth to it, and there’s not a lot of high-talent players either.”

Outside of Sanders and Ward, Texas’ Quinn Ewers, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe and Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart lead the pack of second-tier quarterbacks. McCord can potentially join this group, with CBS Sports ranking him as the No. 6 signal-caller, just behind the trio.

Kyle McCord significantly boosted his draft stock with Syracuse in 2024, leading the nation with 4,779 passing yards. Leonardo Eriman | Asst. Video Editor

No matter what he would’ve done at Syracuse in 2025, becoming the No. 6 quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft probably would’ve been an uphill battle. And that’s without considering how different the situation around McCord would’ve looked.

Personnel-wise, the Orange’s offense will look completely different. Oronde Gadsden II, LeQuint Allen Jr., Jackson Meeks — and virtually SU’s entire offensive line — have moved on from the program.

McCord had a near 100th-percentile season in 2024 with the group. All the stars aligned for him to be the Orange’s missing piece.

That’s not to say McCord wouldn’t have adjusted. After all, leaving Marvin Harrison Jr., TreVeyon Henderson and Emeka Egbuka at Ohio State was a downgrade at the time.

But to attempt replicating the success he had with what’s at stake? It doesn’t make sense to even try. If McCord played 90% as well as he did in 2024, his draft stock would decline — especially considering how good the 2026 class is set to be. Plus, with its upcoming schedule, SU maybe wins seven games in 2025.

Beyond the on-field element, banking on one year of Name, Image and Likeness money while jeopardizing NFL money wouldn’t make sense for McCord at Syracuse. When the Orange pried him to central New York, their main recruiting pitch was his familiarity with the coaching staff and that they had the pieces around him to succeed. SU’s NIL offer also played a role, but Director of Athletics John Wildhack said McCord turned down twice the money from Nebraska.

Other than Wildhack saying the Orange would be “competitive” in NIL, there is no publicly available information on SU’s NIL figures. Since then, though, there’s no doubt the program’s NIL collective has seen significant strides.

At this point, it’s safe to assume Syracuse’s collectives — not factoring external endorsement offers McCord could’ve received — could pony up whatever Nebraska’s offer was last year.

Though in a slightly different situation, because he had another year of eligibility remaining and a down year in 2024, former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck is a good comparison. The Athletic reported Beck will receive just over $3 million from Miami’s NIL channels after transferring to the program. Had Beck stayed in the draft, which he declared for before entering the portal, he would’ve likely been in the same tier prospect-wise as McCord.

CBS Sports ranks Kyle McCord as the sixth best quarterback available in the 2025 NFL Draft. Angelina Grevi | Staff Photographer

However, because of the state of Syracuse’s NIL compared to a top-tier program like Miami, it’s unrealistic to assume it can pay that much to one player. For Beck, it makes sense to take the guaranteed $3 million and bolster his draft stock after an up-and-down 2024 season.

For McCord, there’s minimal value in taking maybe half that money and probably failing to replicate or improve on his record-setting season. Even in the chance he would’ve, the cost of risking injury and tanking his draft status doesn’t overcome the opportunity of becoming at best a second-round pick.

There’s no doubt McCord is enshrined on Syracuse’s Mount Rushmore of this century, and his name will go hand-in-hand with why the program has returned to relevance. And, with or without another year in central New York, that legacy is secure.

At the end of the day, SU head coach Fran Brown has said countless times his goal is to prepare his players for the NFL. While he was praying and mouthing “please God” when his star quarterback was discussing possibly playing another season at Syracuse after the Holiday Bowl, nobody can be mad at McCord for making the right decision and moving on from the prospect of a fifth collegiate season.

Another year of McCord would’ve been awesome for the Orange. But for McCord, restarting a pipeline of SU quarterbacks in the NFL always made the most sense.

Justin Girshon is the Sports Editor at The Daily Orange, where his column appears occasionally. He can be reached at justingirshon@gmail.com or on X @JustinGirshon.

Published on January 13, 2025 at 9:20 pm