Former St. Joseph’s Prep QB Kyle McCord will start in Ohio State’s opener

Ohio State coach Ryan Day said Tuesday that former St. Joseph’s Prep quarterback Kyle McCord will start the third-ranked Buckeyes’ season opener on Saturday at Indiana.

Day said that touted sophomore quarterback Devin Brown also is expected to play in the game.

“I think that Kyle has done a great job over the last two weeks showing consistency,” Day said. “He’s played very well in practice. But Devin, throughout the body of the preseason, has shown that he deserves to play. So expect both of them to play. We have confidence in both of them.”

A 6-foot-3 junior, McCord has played in 12 games over the last two seasons, with a start in 2021 against Akron. A native of Mount Laurel, he has passed for 606 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions in his college career.

McCord will be one of two former St. Joe’s Prep standouts starting for Ohio State, joining All-American wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.

“As close as we may seem on the field, we’re even closer off the field, we have a big friendship,” Harrison told The Inquirer last year.

“Having him commit to Ohio State, you always want to go to college with someone that you know, so that played a factor [in Harrison going to Ohio State], and now he’s my quarterback. That receiver to quarterback connection is very important.”

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As recently as last week, Day said the competition was too close to call. A right-handed, pro-style passer, the 20-year-old McCord backed up two-time Heisman Trophy finalist C.J. Stroud for two seasons. Brown got limited mop-up duty last year and has yet to throw a pass in a college game.

McCord “has been in the program here for a few years — he’s seen the good and the bad and the ugly, really,” Day said. “And a big part of life is knowing what to expect, and so he’s been around, so he’s at least seen it. Now he’s got to go do it. It’s a whole different thing when you’re actually physically doing it [rather] than watching somebody else go through it.”

Day acknowledged that he would have preferred one of the candidates to emerge earlier as the clear starter.

“This is something that’s a little uncharted territory for me, but you just go on what you see every day in practice,” he said. “And I think that Kyle’s consistency in the last couple of weeks has allowed him to be the starter. And he deserves that.”

McCord will be surrounded by an outstanding collection of offensive weapons. That begins with Harrison and wideouts Emeka Egbuka and Julian Fleming. Tight end Cade Stover returns for a fifth year after catching 36 passes for 406 yards, fourth-best on the team last season.

Explosive running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams struggled with injuries last season but are healthy and are expected to share carries. Henderson rushed for more than 1,200 yards in 2021.

The Buckeyes finished 11-2 last year, losing to rival Michigan in the final regular-season game. They backed into a playoff spot, losing to eventual national champion Georgia in a wild one, 42-41.