Ohio State Buckeyes’ Kyle McCord Ready For “Home School” Bout Against Penn State Nittany Lions

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback, and Pennsylvania native, Kyle McCord is ready to show Philly fans what's he really made of.

Growing up playing football in Philadelphia, you’re expected to be a Penn State Nittany Lion.

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Kyle McCord thought the same thing. And after he had received an offer from head coach James Franklin, McCord was prepared to be a Nittany Lion.

In fact, he never really thought the Buckeyes were an option. 

“I never really thought Ohio State was going to be a school I was going to end up at,” McCord said this week.

That was until the Penn State vs. Ohio State game in 2018, when former Buckeye quarterback Dwayne Haskins had two touchdown passes in the final seven minutes, including one with under three minutes left, to erase a 12-point deficit. 

McCord said he vividly remembered Haskins’ late-game comeback as one of his “first big games.” McCord added that he was really surprised by the nontraditional Ohio State way of using quarterbacks, referring to Braxton Miller and Terrelle Pryor.

“If Ohio State ever recruits me, I think that would definitely be something to consider, seeing the way they’re using Dwayne, the way they’re throwing the ball,” McCord said.

McCord said the Buckeyes became the top team on his list when he received the offer from Ohio State head coach Ryan Day.

“When Coach Day gave me the green light to commit, there was really no doubt that this was the place to be,” McCord said.

Now as a first-year starting quarterback for the Buckeyes, McCord is looking forward to Saturday’s top 10 matchup with the Nittany Lions, his “home school.” The undefeated bout will feature two of the conference’s top quarterbacks in McCord and Penn State sophomore Drew Allar.

“When you think about the best teams in the Big Ten, just historically, I think it would be us, [Michigan] and Penn State,” McCord said.

McCord and the Buckeyes will take on Penn State at noon on Saturday.