Former Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord sends a strong message to Buckeyes fans

The separation between Kyle McCord and the Ohio State Buckeyes was not exactly feared by Columbus fans.

In his only season as Ohio State's starting quarterback in 2023, McCord was widely vilified, even if the criticism was not entirely fair.

Now McCord is at the center of the Syracuse Orange and Will Howard has taken his place with the Buckeyes.

Fortunately for McCord, his first days at Syracuse were a resounding success, as he led the Orange to a 2-0 record in September while playing phenomenal football.

But McCord hasn’t forgotten the loud fans in Ohio.

When the former Ohio State signal-caller was asked about Buckeyes fans this week, he gave them a pretty clear message.

“I'm grateful to all of them,” McCord said, via Ehsan Kassim of The Columbus Dispatch. “I'm still rooting for Ohio State.”

The 22-year-old added that he is still very familiar with the Buckeyes roster.

“I have a lot of friends that are still on the team,” McCord said. “I still talk to some of the coaches. I still root for them. I cheer for these guys. I'm thankful for the fans because I've met a lot of great people in the community that still reach out and support me, and that's great. I just have love for the Buckeyes.”

Last season, McCord threw for 3,710 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions and completed 65.8 percent of his passes. Although he led the Big Ten with 9.1 yards per pass attempt, it wasn't enough for Ohio State, and he transferred to Syracuse after the 2023 season.

In his first two games with the Orange, McCord has totaled 735 yards, eight touchdowns, one pick, and completed 69.4 percent of his throws.