“Yeah, I’ve known J.J. since I think my sophomore year of high school,” said McCord, who will be Ohio State’s starting quarterback Saturday when the Buckeyes take on Michigan for the 119th time. “Really when we started to go to kind of those national camps, and obviously we got recruited by a lot of the same schools. So just getting to know him as one of the kids in my class I got pretty close with.”
McCord, who has not been one for bombast since becoming Ohio State’s starter this season, probably undersold the story.
Not only were the two both recruited by “some of the same schools,” they were both high on Ohio State’s list in the spring of 2019 as coach Ryan Day was deterring who would be his quarterback for the 2021 cycle.
A standout at St. Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia, McCord was the No. 8-ranked quarterback in 247Sports Composite rankings.
McCarthy, who played for Nazareth High School in suburban Chicago and IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., was No. 6.
Colleges typically only take one quarterback per year nowadays, and Day ultimately accepted a commitment from McCord first.
That angered McCarthy, who told The Athletic at the time he grew up an Ohio State fan but felt they had misled him in their intentions for recruiting a signal-caller that season by taking such an early commitment.
He ultimately chose Michigan, adding another substantial footnote to the story that figures to grow into its own chapter this weekend.
“Obviously, that was a little bit of a story when we were both getting recruited, but I think once we both stepped on campus those recruiting stories kind of fade out,” McCord said. “And I think the product you put on the field matters most.”
Upsets are back and six other things to know about the Ohio State-Michigan series https://t.co/ovU2bBiECd
— Marcus Hartman (@marcushartman) November 21, 2023
McCarthy and McCord rank No. 1 and 2 in the Big Ten in passer efficiency this season. McCord is No. 2 in passing yards per game (263.5) while McCarthy is third (212.5), and both have a shot of being named the Big Ten Quarterback of the Year next week.
“Kyle is my guy,” McCarthy told reporters in Ann Arbor on Monday. “We were always (at camps) together and we just kind of meshed. Two alike personalities.”
McCarthy already has a head start in terms of forging a legacy in The Game.
He contributed lightly to a 2021 Michigan victory that broke an eight-game losing streak for Ohio State in the series, and he threw for 263 yards and three touchdowns while running for another last season as Michigan stomped the Buckeyes 45-23 in Columbus.
Day did not delve into what separated the two when they were high school prospects, but he had only good things to say about McCarty this week.
“J.J. was always great,” Day said. “He was very respectful, he was a very competitive player, and I’ve got a lot of respect for him as a player, and as a person.
“During the recruiting cycle, you spend time with different people and different folks, and you learn about people, and all my interactions with he and his family were very classy.”
On Saturday, McCarthy will be looking to become the first starting Michigan quarterback to beat Ohio State twice since the early 1990s.
“It’s gonna be really cool,” McCarthy said of facing McCord. “It’s gonna be really surreal to see him out there in this environment, this game. Going out there and wish him safety and make sure he stays healthy He’s gonna give our defense some trouble at times, and we’ve got to respond and be able to attack him in any way possible.”
McCord said the two remain in contact, but inevitably they can only be so close at this point in their lives.
“Obviously we’re both busy within the season, but I think once we committed to our schools, we knew what it was going to be like,” McCord said. “We knew the rivalry they had, so I try to speak to him as much as I can.”
SATURDAY’S GAME
Ohio State at Michigan, Noon, Fox, 1410
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