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Long before donning a Syracuse jersey, Kyle McCord grew up a football fan in the northeast. SU’s quarterback said he watched the Philadelphia Eagles play each Sunday, specifically Donovan McNabb.

Little did that kid know one day he’d surpass the former Syracuse signal caller, and all others, in SU’s record books.

“A lot of great quarterbacks have played here, so to be the one that holds that record now, that’s pretty sweet,” McCord said after breaking Syracuse’s passing yards record against UConn on Nov. 23.

After the Orange’s 12-game regular season, McCord stands alone as the program’s single-season leader in completions (367), passing yards (4,326) and touchdowns (29).

Barring the NCAA giving him an additional year of eligibility, Friday’s Holiday Bowl matchup against Washington State will be McCord’s last game with the Orange. Ahead of the game, The Daily Orange spoke with past Syracuse quarterbacks, who shared their thoughts on McCord’s historic year and the position’s legacy at SU.

McCord’s single-season records passed Ryan Nassib’s 2012 totals atop the mountain. While Nassib couldn’t be reached for comment, multiple gunslingers who shared the quarterback room with him see similarities between he and McCord’s play style and demeanor.

Terrel Hunt, who spent two seasons with Nassib before becoming SU’s starter, said both are not physically intimidating runners. But they could make up for it with their high football IQ, which translates to success with the right weapons.

“When you ball, people want to watch. Plain and simple,” Hunt said. “Nassib didn’t have the most personality. He wasn’t a fan favorite. But he won. McCord’s kinda the same thing.”

John Kinder, an SU quarterback and wide receiver from 2010-13, highlighted both quarterbacks’ balancing, throwing check downs or scrambling when necessary.

Kyle McCord takes a snap in Syracuse’s win over Holy Cross on Sept. 28. McCord is just 21 completions and 267 passing yards away from tying Deshaun Watson’s Atlantic Coast Conference single-season records. Jacob Halsema | Staff Photographer

For Charley Loeb, a southpaw who played sparingly from 2009-13, his mind when thinking of SU’s football program goes to its running back pedigree. And rightfully so. Legendary names like Jim Brown, Ernie Davis, Floyd Little and Larry Csonka overpower any other position group.

Still, Loeb pointed out Syracuse’s quarterback position has evolved recently. McCord’s 2024 season stands out in the new age of college football, dominated by NIL and the transfer portal.

“Anytime you have a quarterback that is getting Syracuse consistently talked about on national television, that’s a step in the right direction for us,” Loeb said. “McCord having a Heisman-candidate-worthy season, it makes us the focal point.”

Within the realm of SU’s all-time quarterbacks, Kinder sees McCord near the top with Don McPherson, McNabb, Nassib and Eric Dungey, among others.

“There have definitely been a handful of quarterbacks who have really put the school on the map,” Kinder said. “When it’s all said and done, McCord will be able to be in that conversation.”

Shortly after Nassib’s historic climb came Dungey’s. The Lake Oswego, Oregon, native is the last quarterback to lead the Orange to 10 wins.

Even with McCord’s memorable feats in 2024, Dungey was most impressed by his response to his worst performance. On Nov. 24 against Pittsburgh, McCord threw five interceptions and three pick-sixes as Syracuse lost by 28 points.

SU’s quarterback threw for 280 yards with two touchdowns the next week, showing no lack of confidence despite his previous poor performance. Dungey said the bounce back, along with his overall consistency, is a testament to McCord’s character.

“He’s everything that Syracuse entails,” Dungey said. “Humble, hard-working, gritty, and he has a chip on his shoulder. He’s going to be one of those cornerstones for Syracuse football in the future, where you can come here and make a name for yourself.”

Dungey surpassed Nassib for the program lead in career passing yards (9,340) in his final game at Syracuse, a 34-18 victory over West Virginia in the Camping World Bowl. As he drew closer to the record, he remembers his father reminding him to “stop and smell the roses.” Still, Dungey said it came naturally and he never chased it, only truly caring about wins and losses.

When watching McCord this season, Dungey compared it to watching a basketball team where the head coach’s son is the leading scorer. He said Fran Brown’s confidence in McCord shined through, noting McCord had the “keys to the Cadillac” and the “greenest of lights” to do anything to help the team win.

After Dungey, current New York Giants quarterback Tommy Devito starred in 2019. SU struggled through a 1-10 season in 2020 and then Mississippi State transfer Garrett Shrader took over in 2021 and broke out in 2022.

Shrader, who played a similar run-and-gun style to Dungey, notched 2,640 passing yards in 2022. The total ranked ahead of all SU quarterbacks except Nassib and Dungey. Though, a shoulder injury in 2023 hampered any consistent success.

He said watching McCord use his former teammates like LeQuint Allen Jr., Oronde Gadsden II and Trebor Peña has been enjoyable. The work of Peña, who also had an injury history before 2024, was “fun to see” for Shrader because of their time recovering together.

It’s success Shrader felt the Orange could’ve had in his time if everyone stayed healthy.

“The offense has been really set up to have a lot of success. I know it’s every quarterback’s dream to be gunslinging it like they have been, and the numbers have been there,” Shrader said.

Far before Shrader or McCord was McPherson in the late 1980s, followed by Marvin Graves and McNabb in the 1990s.

McPherson, the only SU quarterback to ever win the Davey O’Brien Award for the best signal caller in the nation, said on a podcast with syracuse.com’s Brent Axe that McCord’s season resembles his 1987 one. McPherson had offensive coordinator George DeLeone in his first season, while McCord had Jeff Nixon. In McPherson’s eyes, both owned the offense and knew it better than anyone else because it was their first year in it.

Graves led the Orange from 1990-93, setting the single-season passing record of 2,547 in his senior season. The total stood for 18 seasons until Nassib broke it in 2011.

He said while not focusing on the passing records, he keyed in on his completion percentage. Graves finished in the top two of the Big East for efficiency in his final three years as the starter.

Graves acknowledged passing production is far different than when he last played in 1993. Syracuse didn’t run much spread offense, playing a more conservative game. McCord’s game has still been impressive to him.

“The bottom line is, the numbers are the numbers,” Graves said. “Records are made to be broken, and when you get a special talent, I think we just got to embrace it for what it is.”

A few years after Graves, McNabb became the highest-drafted Syracuse quarterback ever, getting picked by the Eagles at No. 2 overall in 1999.

For McCord, winning the Holiday Bowl would make him the third quarterback this century to lead the Orange to 10 wins in a season. He’s also 21 completions and 267 passing yards away from becoming the Atlantic Coast Conference single-season leader in those categories, passing Deshaun Watson’s 2016 totals.

A common theme for Syracuse’s all-time quarterbacks is to have a bowl victory. Graves captured victories in the Aloha, Hall of Fame and Fiesta Bowls in three consecutive seasons from 1990-92. McNabb then won the Gator and Liberty Bowls in 1995 and 1996.

Nassib tallied two Pinstripe Bowl wins in the Bronx in 2010 and 2012. A Texas Bowl win for Hunt and a Camping World victory for Dungey further solidified their places in SU history.

Now, it’s McCord’s turn to cement his historic 2024 season.

Published on December 26, 2024 at 8:41 pm

Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky