Kyle McCord Brings Winning Mindset and New Mobility to Syracuse Football

hey everybody it's Maria Wayne Scott with 247 Sports and cn.com with just 12 days until the season opener against Ohio in the Dome the Syracuse Orange are in the final stretch of preparation after a tough summer camp the team is now focused on sharpening their execution and building the chemistry needed to start the season strong the pressure is on and no one feels it more than quarterback Kyle mcord the 6'3 220lb transfer from Ohio State who expected to bring a winning culture to Syracuse in his final year of Eligibility mccordi is no stranger to the spotlight he's one of 13 ACC quarterbacks named to the United Golden Arm award preseason watch list last season he was third Team all big 10 with over 3200 passing yards 24 touchdowns and an impressive 66% completion rate now the challenge is bringing that winning mentality to an ACC team where he'll face stiff competition from other top quarterbacks in the conference loaded with challeng reflecting on his time at Ohio State mcord told me how the program's intense focus on winning shaped his approach to the game he learned quickly that success was measured strictly by victories a mindset he's carried with him to Syracuse I think you really start to uh like you get a sense of it um you know when you're the backup watching uh what CJ went through like you know his second game against um Oregon there he passed for like 400 yards when he ended up losing by a touchdown um and it was like the end of the world there um and and so I I kind of realized it right away that you know no matter what you do like you know winning is priority number one uh and then last year I think uh just dealing with you know some injuries and stuff like that um you know when you step on the field on Saturdays none of that matters uh the only thing that matters is that you know the product you put on the field um and so I feel like you know that's good to go through and and understand and um you know I'm thankful uh that you know I was able to experience that the season opener approaches some big questions remain mcord has been part of a winning organization at Ohio State but how will he bring that same winning mindset to Syracuse where the leadership style is quite different with all the preseason hype watch lists all ACC talk how does he stay focused on what matters most and as a true pocket passer can mcord develop the mobility needed to adapt and succeed in critical situations especially in the Red Zone mcord acknowledged that Mobility was a weakness for him last season but he's been laser focused on improving it he told me he's feeling more confident than ever especially now that he's in the best shape of his college career crediting Syracuse's strength and conditioning program for his renewed physical Edge yeah uh I feel like last year um you know with two messed up ankles it kind of hinders your your ability a little bit um and you know there were times last year where I felt like you know I wanted to run but you know you're just not super confident that that you can get it going um so I think one being healthy has helped um two I think that the strength and uh the strength and conditioning program here has been great I feel like this is the best my body's been um since I've been in college just in terms of you know my my strength and my speed I feel like I'm at a really good point right now uh and then three just studying um you know myself from last season um studying areas where you know I think there were opportunities for me to go out and make it play with my feet um or extend a play or whatever the case may be um and just being more conscious of it there's a lot riding on mccort's shoulders but the good news is that Syracuse's offensive line is deeper this year with 20 linen ready to protect their quarterback last year this group struggled ranking second to last in the ACCC for quarterback pressures allowed but with new additions and some returning Talent there is hope that mcord will have the protection he needs to thrive with mord at the helm this season is shaping up to be a def finding one for him and for the orange will his leadership and skills be enough to push this team to new heights and secure his place among the acc's elite we'll start getting those answers on August 31st inside the Dome one thing is certain though all the work put in during Camp the training the bonding and the preparation it'll be put to the test reporting from inside the Syracuse football practice facility I'm r waycott