Ohio State entered the 2023 season in the unenviable position of replacing a two-time Heisman Trophy finalist and the second overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft at quarterback. Former five-star recruit Kyle McCord won the starting job and has since been excellent in his tenure. His play has led many to ask when McCord will be draft-eligible.
Will Kyle McCord Be Draft-Eligible This Year?
The answer is yes, he is.
According to the NFL Draft rules, players must have been out of high school for at least three years and must have used up their college eligibility before the start of the next college football season. Underclassmen and players who have graduated before using all their college eligibility may request the league’s approval to enter the draft early.
McCord met these criteria, enrolling at Ohio State in January 2021 after graduating from St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is in his third year out of high school and will have one year of college eligibility after this season.
The journey for McCord to get to this point has been impressive.
The 247Sports Composite Ratings had McCord as the No. 28 recruit in the 2021 class and the No. 6 quarterback overall, grading out as a five-star recruit. While at St. Joseph’s Prep, he won three state championships while playing alongside star Buckeyes receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. as Pennsylvania’s most dangerous quarterback-receiver duo.
He fought off Devin Brown to win the starting job, and head coach Ryan Day spoke glowingly of McCord.
“I think that Kyle has done a great job over the last two weeks of showing consistency. He’s played very well in practice, but Devin also throughout the body of the preseason has shown that he deserves to play so expect both of them to play,” Day said. “We have confidence in both of them. I think that’s significant that we have two guys that we feel confident playing in the game.”
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Part of what has helped the Buckeyes remain a top-10 team by the end of each season since 2012 has been a pipeline of standout quarterbacks.
Dating back to Braxton Miller starting the 2012 season, all but one Buckeye QB who opened the season as the starter was voted in the top five for the Heisman Trophy at least once in his career, with the lone exception being Cardale Jones, who began the 2015 season in a split system with J.T. Barrett.
A junior, McCord was widely expected to begin the season as the starter, having already notched one career start under his belt when Stroud missed a 2021 contest against the Akron Zips and had more experience in the quarterback room than his sophomore counterpart. However, as the offseason went on, Brown strongly pushed to be more seriously considered for the starting spot.
McCord has not announced his intentions regarding the NFL Draft yet, but he could follow C.J. Stroud’s footsteps and declare early if he continues to play well and boost his draft stock. He could also decide to return to Ohio State for his senior season and try to lead the Buckeyes to another national championship. Either way, he has proven that he belongs at Ohio State and has a bright future ahead of him.