Philadelphia (Pa.) St. Joseph’s five-star quarterback Kyle McCord, an Ohio State commit, was one of 11 quarterbacks who was invited to the Elite 11 finals, joining some of the other top signal callers in the 2021 recruiting class.
He came into the event ranked eighth, one spot below five-star J.J. McCarthy, a Michigan commit who was an Ohio State lean prior to the Buckeyes ultimately earning the commitment of McCord.
#Elite11 Rankings prior to Pro Day Workout
*determined by Elite 11 coaching staff – 50% junior season film & performance/50% camp eval & traits pic.twitter.com/RFLxAUt7qy
— Elite11 (@Elite11) June 30, 2020
Tuesday’s competition involved a simulated pro day, where each quarterback would throw 19 times with a score of 0, 1, 2 or 3 depending on if the throw missed, made a receiver use significant effort, was within the receiver’s frame, or if it would have hit him in the head if his hands weren’t there.
Last year, C.J. Stroud, another eventual Ohio State commit, scored a 50 and won the event. On Tuesday, McCord made it back-to-back commits for the Buckeyes when he scored a 45, good enough for tops in the competition.
Kyle McCord (@kylemccord16) with the strongest Pro Day performance so far through 5 QBs — on the money for a majority of his 19 throws including this dime 👌 #Elite11 @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/OdLW7tV4DL
— Ronny Torres (@RonnyTorresSS) July 1, 2020
Big-time performances tonight at the Pro Day workout of the #Elite11 Finals are led by Ohio State commit Kyle McCord out of St. Joseph’s (Pa.)🏈🎯 pic.twitter.com/oLH3Ws7Mgl
— Brian Stumpf (@Stumpf_Brian) July 1, 2020
Coming in second was North Carolina commit Drake Maye, with McCarthy coming in tied for ninth with five-star Caleb Williams, the top-ranked quarterback heading into the Elite 11 Finals.
The results were enough to move McCord up five spots to third heading into the final workouts on Wednesday.
#Elite11 Rankings prior to last workout today
*determined by Elite 11 coaching staff – 50% junior season film & performance/50% camp eval & traits pic.twitter.com/J01K5kB7DN
— Elite11 (@Elite11) July 1, 2020
The 6-3, 204-pound Ohio State commit also took home a seventh-place finish in the target challenge on Wednesday, while Georgia commit Brock Vandagriff was the winner.
Williams, the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback and No. 4 prospect overall in 2021, still did enough to be named Elite 11 MVP by the staff. The 6-2, 209-pound signal caller is uncommitted, but has 29 crystal ball predictions, all of which are for Oklahoma.
McCord committed to Ohio State on April 30, 2019, and currently ranks as the third-best pro-style quarterback in the 2021 class and No. 24 prospect overall. He was compared to Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford by 247Sports national recruiting analyst Brian Dohn.
“Wide-shouldered frame with good height and size. Strong arm and accurate. Spins ball well. Poised under pressure. Great leadership qualities. Plays with high IQ. Can throw 15-yard out on line. Touch to throw over linebackers on intermediate routes,” Dohn wrote about McCord. “Has quick release with good arm angle. Fits balls into tight windows. Accurate throwing on run. Moves in pocket. Extends plays. Needs to continue to develop escapability. More consistency needed on deep balls. Multi-year starter at top 15 program. Projects to be an early round NFL draft pick.”
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