Former Ohio State football coaching candidate Jon Gruden sat down with former OSU starting quarterback Kyle McCord for Gruden’s QB Class on Barstool Sports and things got, well, interesting.
For starters, McCord called out Notre Dame fans. Then he explained what happened in the Michigan game, when he threw two interceptions, the second to seal the Wolverines’ 30-24 win in 2023.
After the loss to UM, McCord entered the transfer portal and signed with Syracuse, where last season he led the Atlantic Coast Conference in passing.
McCord, who considers himself the best quarterback in the NFL draft, led the Buckeyes to a winning drive in the 17-14 win against Notre Dame two seasons ago. After the win, he appeared to jaw with Fighting Irish fans.
“You know how those Notre Dame boosters are. They’re letting us hear it all game,” he told Gruden. “I was probably telling them to go the (bleep) home, beat traffic. No Notre Dame fan is from Indiana. They have flights to catch to go back home.”
Ouch.
As for Michigan, on the first interception, it appeared Marvin Harrison Jr. did not fight hard enough for the ball on a slant route.
McCord did not throw his former teammate under the bus, explaining Harrison was expecting the ball to be thrown over his back shoulder instead of onto his body.
“It was miscommunication. It sucks,” he said.
Gruden shared a different opinion.
“I personally put that interception on Harrison,” Gruden said, listing such NFL luminaries as Joe Montana, Brett Favre in explaining that Harrison needed to “cross space” on that route and work harder for the ball.
On the second interception, McCord said Ohio State had Michigan on its heels until the Wolverines called timeout.
“The play before that we threw a dig and Marvin caught it and it got punched it out and we’re going tempo,” he said. “We’re getting (the play reviewed) right before, so they had a chance to scheme up and we changed the play. The rest is history.”
Michigan was able to pressure McCord on the play and threw an off-balance pass that the Wolverines picked off.
Gruden tried to bait McCord into bad-mouthing Ohio State, but the QB held off with any criticism.
Gruden rattled off McCord’s passing numbers his last year with the Buckeyes: 65% completion percentage, 3,200 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions.
“That’s the seventh most yards in the history of Ohio State,” Gruden said. “Your first year (as a starter) and you go 12-1 and lost the Michigan game on a couple of interceptions (that weren’t your fault). I’m trying to be your agent.”
McCord also talked about his OSU experience and why he left.
“I sat behind C.J. (Stroud) for two years. In the moment I wanted to compete and play, but looking back it was the best thing to happen for me learning.
“The transfer portal is the Wild West. I had a few conversations and things happened fast. I thought going from year one to year two I made big improvement and wanted to come back. They went in a different direction.”
Gruden asked McCord if he regrets not being part of the 2024 national championship experience.
“I was happy for them. It worked out for me going to Syracuse and obviously worked out for them,” he said. “It’s a rare instance where both parties benefited.”
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Former Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord talks Michigan with Gruden
Former Ohio State football coaching candidate Jon Gruden sat down with former OSU starting quarterback Kyle McCord for Gruden’s QB Class on Barstool Sports and things got, well, interesting.
For starters, McCord called out Notre Dame fans. Then he explained what happened in the Michigan game, when he threw two interceptions, the second to seal the Wolverines’ 30-24 win in 2023.
After the loss to UM, McCord entered the transfer portal and signed with Syracuse, where last season he led the Atlantic Coast Conference in passing.
McCord, who considers himself the best quarterback in the NFL draft, led the Buckeyes to a winning drive in the 17-14 win against Notre Dame two seasons ago. After the win, he appeared to jaw with Fighting Irish fans.
“You know how those Notre Dame boosters are. They’re letting us hear it all game,” he told Gruden. “I was probably telling them to go the (bleep) home, beat traffic. No Notre Dame fan is from Indiana. They have flights to catch to go back home.”
Ouch.
As for Michigan, on the first interception, it appeared Marvin Harrison Jr. did not fight hard enough for the ball on a slant route.
McCord did not throw his former teammate under the bus, explaining Harrison was expecting the ball to be thrown over his back shoulder instead of onto his body.
“It was miscommunication. It sucks,” he said.
Gruden shared a different opinion.
“I personally put that interception on Harrison,” Gruden said, listing such NFL luminaries as Joe Montana, Brett Favre in explaining that Harrison needed to “cross space” on that route and work harder for the ball.
On the second interception, McCord said Ohio State had Michigan on its heels until the Wolverines called timeout.
“The play before that we threw a dig and Marvin caught it and it got punched it out and we’re going tempo,” he said. “We’re getting (the play reviewed) right before, so they had a chance to scheme up and we changed the play. The rest is history.”
Michigan was able to pressure McCord on the play and threw an off-balance pass that the Wolverines picked off.
Gruden tried to bait McCord into bad-mouthing Ohio State, but the QB held off with any criticism.
Gruden rattled off McCord’s passing numbers his last year with the Buckeyes: 65% completion percentage, 3,200 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions.
“That’s the seventh most yards in the history of Ohio State,” Gruden said. “Your first year (as a starter) and you go 12-1 and lost the Michigan game on a couple of interceptions (that weren’t your fault). I’m trying to be your agent.”
McCord also talked about his OSU experience and why he left.
“I sat behind C.J. (Stroud) for two years. In the moment I wanted to compete and play, but looking back it was the best thing to happen for me learning.
“The transfer portal is the Wild West. I had a few conversations and things happened fast. I thought going from year one to year two I made big improvement and wanted to come back. They went in a different direction.”
Gruden asked McCord if he regrets not being part of the 2024 national championship experience.
“I was happy for them. It worked out for me going to Syracuse and obviously worked out for them,” he said. “It’s a rare instance where both parties benefited.”
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Former Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord talks Michigan with Gruden
