Kyle McCord Breaks Former Clemson Tigers QB Deshaun Watson's ACC Record

Kyle McCord recently broke a former Clemson Tigers ACC record.

Dec 27, 2024; San Diego, CA, USA; Syracuse Orange quarterback Kyle McCord (6) throws the ball against the Washington State Cougars during the second quarter at Snapdragon Stadium. / Abe Arredondo-Imagn Images

A Clemson Tigers record was recently broken by a player that helped them immensily in 2024. 

For much of the final stretch of the season, the Tigers didn’t look like they were going to be able to compete for an ACC Championship. Due to a loss to the Louisville Cardinals, Clemson didn’t have the tiebreaker that looked like it was going to be needed at the end of the season. 

However, thanks to some help from the Syracuse Orange against the Miami Hurricanes, the Tigers found themselves in the ACC Title game against the SMU Mustangs. Clemson didn’t squander the opportunity to win the ACC and secure their spot in the College Football Playoff. 

One of the reasons for the Tigers making the CFP was the play of Orange quarterback Kyle McCord. In the upset win over the Hurricanes, McCord had a fantastic performance, totaling 380 passing yards and three passing touchdowns. 

Overall, this season, the senior quarterback for Syracuse has totaled 4,779 passing yards, 34 passing touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. The talented young quarterback really was slinging the ball around this season, and it resulted in a new ACC single-season passing record. 

McCord was able to pass the mark set by Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson in 2016. In what ended up being his final season with the Tigers, Watson set the ACC record for passing yards in a single season. In 2016, he totaled 4,593 passing yards, 41 passing yards, and 17 interceptions. 

Now there will be a new record holder for that mark in the ACC, as while McCord helped the Tigers a ton this season, he also rewrote the record books in the conference. 

Since leaving Clemson, it has been an interesting career for Watson. He got off to an excellent start to his career with the Houston Texans, but has struggled since having off-the-field issues and being traded to the Cleveland Browns. 

The 29-year-old is still very young in the league, but his career is going in the wrong direction. 

As Watson tries to turn his career around, he recently restricted his deal again with the Browns. 2025 feels like it could be the last chance for the quarterback in Cleveland, as he hasn’t been anywhere near the quarterback he was with the Tigers or the Texans. 

For McCord, it was an extremely impressive season and his future is looking very bright after setting a new record.