The Orange are likely looking in the portal again for their next QB1
It’s hard to use many other words other than “success” to describe Kyle McCord’s season for the Syracuse Orange. He broke the Syracuse single-season passing yards record that Ryan Nassib held since 2012. The 4,326 passing yards that McCord finished the season with led all FBS passers.
However, for all the good McCord provided on and off the field, he was always going to be a one-year solution to Syracuse’s quarterback room. The next step for Fran Brown and the Orange program is to find a signal caller to replace not just the production, but the leadership of McCord. The relationship and trust between the head coach and quarterback at Syracuse rivals the relationship and trust at the pro level in Kansas City.
“I’m looking for a guy that wants to come in and be able to compete,” said Brown. “And if he wins the role, then he’s going to be able to be second in command of our program.”
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As Brown mentioned, it’s not a foregone conclusion that a transfer quarterback coming into the program this year will be a lock for the starting position. The Orange still retain Michael Johnson Jr. and Jakhari Williams in the quarterback room. Syracuse also received commitments from Rich Belin and Luke Carney in this year’s recruiting class, although the two are most likely not going to be in the mix for the starting job next season.
Syracuse is most likely looking in the transfer portal for its next starting quarterback, and two names have been commonly linked to the Orange. Those two are LSU’s Rickie Collins and Liberty’s Kaidon Salter. Collins just visited Syracuse this week, while Salter is planning a visit to Central New York.
Both Collins and Salter offer a much different skill set than McCord. The two reported transfer targets are both dual-threat quarterbacks. McCord on the other hand is a pocket passer and field general, although he did showcase scramble abilities at times the past season. However, the play that McCord showcased the past season is what Brown believes will draw talented quarterbacks to Syracuse in the future.
“Kyle has set a standard that gives people an opportunity of knowing that you can come here and you can do extremely well at that position,” said Brown.
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The leadership portion is perhaps an underrated aspect that people may not realize that Brown is looking for. It was clear during spring practice and training camp that Brown was often leaning on McCord to help him lead the team. Based on his comments, Brown is expecting a similar leadership to come from the starting quarterback that the program has come to expect as showcased by McCord.
“He’s got an aura, a leader aura,” said Darrell Gill. “So you got to fall behind him.”
No matter who takes the starting reins for Syracuse next season, a standard has been set by McCord. Brown is now looking for a quarterback to, at the very least, meet that standard so that his expectations at Syracuse can be fulfilled.
“I’m looking for a winner,” said Brown.