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Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord, the nation’s leading passer in 2024, told ESPN on Friday that he will declare for the NFL draft and has decided to no longer pursue an NCAA eligibility waiver for another season.

This decision ends what he called a “crazy ride” through college football that saw him go 22-4 as a starting quarterback at Syracuse and Ohio State. McCord led the nation with 4,779 passing yards in 2024 and led Syracuse to a 10-win season and a victory over Washington State in the Holiday Bowl.

He broke DeShaun Watson’s ACC career passing record in 2024, and the 10-win season marked the program’s first since 2018.

“I think the biggest thing for me was, obviously, I felt like I put together a really good year,” McCord told ESPN. “With the way everything played itself out and what I’m hearing in terms of feedback at the draft, it just makes sense to go, after weighing all the options out.”

McCord finished fourth nationally with 34 touchdown passes this year, and his statistical dominance and strong team play helped him considerably in the eyes of NFL evaluators. McCord profiles as middle-rounds NFL pick right now, with the process of playing the East-West Shrine Bowl and meeting with teams through the draft process gives him a runway to improve his stock. He is not currently listed among the top 10 draft-eligible quarterbacks by ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.

The move to Syracuse proved beneficial for McCord, as the program under first-year coach Fran Brown and the offense under coordinator Jeff Nixon gave McCord a forum to thrive. He’s said he’ll be “forever indebted” to the school and staff for his time there.

“It was a little bit of leap of faith going to Syracuse,” McCord said. “Coming off the season I had at Ohio State and going in portal and having no idea where you are going to be, it was a scary situation to be in.”

He said he’s grateful for the journey from going 11-1 as the starter at Ohio State to the uncertainty of the portal to having a historic final year of college at Syracuse.

“The biggest thing is how thankful I am for Syracuse for bringing me in,” McCord said. “I’m thankful to the coaches, my teammates and the fans.”

McCord, who graduated from Syracuse, expressed his appreciation for Brown and Nixon. He said the offense of Nixon, who is an experienced NFL coach, helped prepare him for the next step he’s about to take.

“He’s one of the smartest football minds I’ve ever had a chance to be around,” McCord said. “He put me in position to go out and have success. His playcalling, I think, was phenomenal, especially in situations where we had to have it. I owe a lot of my success to him.”

McCord believes the adversity of his journey shaped him for the NFL.

“I think I learned a lot about myself throughout the process,” McCord said, “and it was really the first time I faced a big moment of adversity having to go in the portal. It’s definitely been a crazy, wild ride. I wouldn’t trade it for anything in world.”

McCord played in five games as a freshman at Ohio State, one more than the NCAA minimum for a redshirt season. He had filed a waiver to challenge that, but he said he has since decided to push forward and enter the NFL.

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Cristobal: QB Beck cleared for summer workouts

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Cristobal: QB Beck cleared for summer workouts

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. — Miami coach Mario Cristobal said Monday that quarterback Carson Beck has been cleared to participate in all team summer activities and is approaching 100 percent following elbow surgery last year.

Cristobal said Beck has been throwing for the past three weeks as part of his rehab regimen. Beck missed all of spring practice and has yet to throw to Miami’s receivers as part of organized team activities. But that is all about to change when Miami begins summer workouts next week.

“He’s good to go,” Cristobal told ESPN at the ACC spring meetings. “He’s exceeding every benchmark.”

Beck underwent surgery on his right elbow to repair his ulnar collateral ligament, which he injured on the final play of the first half in second-ranked Georgia‘s 22-19 overtime win against Texas in the SEC championship game Dec. 7.

Beck started at Georgia for two seasons, going 24-3, and ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. had him rated as the No. 5 quarterback for the 2025 draft. But given his injury and inconsistent performance in 2024, Beck entered the portal in January. He quickly opted for Miami, where he will replace No. 1 NFL draft pick Cam Ward.

Beck threw for 7,426 yards over his two seasons as Georgia’s starter, fifth most among all FBS passers since 2023, with 57 total touchdowns and 23 turnovers.

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Canes LB Hayes out of hospital after tragic crash

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Canes LB Hayes out of hospital after tragic crash

Miami Hurricanes linebacker Adarius Hayes, who was one of the drivers in a two-vehicle crash that left three people dead and at least two others injured, has been released from the hospital, the university said Monday.

The three people who died as a result of the crash were all in a Kia Soul, which collided with a Dodge Durango being driven by Hayes on Saturday afternoon in Largo, Florida, police said.

A 78-year-old woman who was driving the Kia and two of her passengers — 10-year-old Jabari Elijah Solomon and 4-year-old Charlie Herbert Solomon Riveria — died in the crash, police said. Another passenger in the Kia was hospitalized with serious injuries, police said.

No tickets or criminal charges have been filed, though the investigation is continuing.

“We are deeply saddened to learn the crash resulted in three fatalities, as confirmed by Largo Police, and our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of those lost,” the Hurricanes said in a statement.

The school is still working to gather further information.

“There were no signs of impairment with either driver of the vehicles,” Largo Police public information officer Megan Santo said in a statement distributed Sunday.

Hayes, a four-star recruit coming out of Largo High, played in 12 games for the Hurricanes as a freshman in 2024, mostly on special teams. He finished the season with four tackles and one interception, which he returned 25 yards in Miami’s 56-9 victory over Florida A&M on Sept. 7.

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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NCAA prez is open to Trump’s idea of commission

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NCAA prez is open to Trump's idea of commission

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. — NCAA president Charlie Baker said Monday he was “up for anything” when asked about a President Donald Trump-proposed commission on collegiate athletics.

Reports surfaced last week that Trump was going to create the commission.

While his conversations at ACC meetings with league football coaches, men’s and women’s basketball coaches, athletic directors and other school officials focused on governance and the pending House settlement, Baker was asked during an informal media availability for his thoughts on the presidential commission.

“I think the fact that there’s an interest on the executive side on this, I think it speaks to the fact that everybody is paying a lot of attention right now to what’s going on in college sports,” Baker said.

“I’m up for anything that can help us get somewhere.”

Baker noted the NCAA has already spent time in Washington asking for congressional help that is focused on three big issues. Among the biggest: a patchwork of state laws that relate to how collegiate athletics work in individual states; and whether student-athletes should be considered employees.

“I think [Congress] can help us. I really do,” ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said during an interview with ACC Network. “We have been very bold in the desire for a national standard when it comes to name, image and likeness. We need to make sure that we have something that comes out of Washington that connects all 50 of the states because we’ve had a piecemeal project and it’s really undermined college sports. It’s been a race to the bottom. So that’s one. Two is we need some legal protection. We cannot sustain one legal case after another legal case after another legal case. A reaffirmation that these are student-athletes. Those three things to me will be very important to see if that can come out of the commission.”

Baker said, “People in our office have talked to folks who are working on this, but I don’t think they’ve decided the framework around who they want to put on.”

When asked whether he felt the creation of a commission would enhance the NCAA’s chances at legislative relief, Baker said, “I don’t have a crystal ball on that one. I don’t know. I do think, though, that it’s quite clear at this point that there are a lot of people interested in college sports, and we do need some help at some point to create some clarity around some of these issues in Washington. Creating clarity one lawsuit at a time is just a really bad way to try to move forward.”

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