Buckeyes’ McCord biggest name in transfer portal as undergrad players begin search for new schools

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Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord entered his name into the transfer portal Monday, the first day undergraduate football players could do so.

The Buckeyes’ season-long starter was the biggest name in the portal.

Quarterbacks Blake Shapen of Baylor and Katin Houser of Michigan State also entered the portal.

McCord beat out Devin Brown for the starter’s job in the preseason and threw for 3,170 yards and 24 touchdowns with six interceptions. Two of the interceptions came in the 30-24 loss to Michigan on Nov. 25.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day was non-committal Sunday when asked if the junior quarterback would play in the Buckeyes’ game against Missouri in the Cotton Bowl.

McCord’s best moment came when he led Ohio State’s 65-yard drive for the winning touchdown as time ran out in a 17-14 win over Notre Dame in September.

“I think he’s a good quarterback, I do,” Day said. “After every year, you evaluate everything, and try to figure out what to do next. But I think there was a lot of progress made this year.”

McCord’s teammate, running back Evan Porter, also entered the portal. Porter appeared in four games.

Shapen’s decision came less than a week after Baylor hired Jake Spavital as offensive coordinator. Shapen became the Bears’ starter late in the 2021 season. He battled knee and head injuries this year and averaged 273 yards passing per game with 13 TDs in eight games.

Houser, who started Michigan State’s last seven games, entered the portal after Jonathan Smith was hired as the new head coach.

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