Pitt Linked to Former Ohio State QB Kyle McCord

There are going to be sweeping changes to the Pitt offense in 2024, all the way from the offensive coordinator and down, and it appears likely that another quarterback will be added to the roster.

Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord entered the transfer portal when it opened Monday morning, one of the first major dominos to fall across the college football landscape, and the polarizing quarterback has already been linked to Pitt.

247Sports’ Brad Crawford listed Pitt, along with Miami, North Carolina State, Rutgers, Louisville, Mississippi State, Kentucky and Nebraska, as a potential transfer destination.

Crawford appears to have speculated more than anything, noting the Panthers adding starting transfer quarterbacks in each of the last three seasons, but McCord does fit the quarterback mold that Pat Narduzzi has targeted lately.

McCord is coming off a season at Ohio State in which he completed 229-of-348 pass attempts (65.8%) for 3,170 yards with 24 touchdowns and six interceptions. He’s a pure pocket passer who had the luxury of playing with future NFL wideouts Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka.

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Mt. Laurel, N.J. native didn’t reach the standard set by Heisman-caliber quarterbacks at Ohio State during his lone season as the Buckeyes starter, and his performance in a loss to Michigan drew a lot of scrutiny. So much so that Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day did not commit to McCord in the upcoming Cotton Bowl.

McCord, a former top recruit in the class of 2021 out of St. Joe’s Prep in Philadelphia, will have one season of eligibility remaining.

Pitt will have Nate Yarnell and Christian Veilleux on its roster entering the 2024 season, and Yarnell’s late-season play was certainly encouraging, with Pat Narduzzi saying that he will at least be given a chance to compete for the starting job.

But it seems likely that Narduzzi, and whoever he hires as the new offensive coordinator, will look into the portal once again.

For all your college football transfer portal needs, check out the Portal Report and their Transfer Portal Tracker.