Kyle McCord is on his way to Syracuse from Ohio State, something that has Orange fans excited.
However, McCord, who threw for 3,170 yards and 24 touchdowns for the Buckeyes before hitting the portal and ultimately announcing that he was transferring to Syracuse, will not be able to help the Orange close out 2023 against USF in Thursday night’s (8:00/ESPN) Boca Raton Bowl.
Instead, the Bulls will likely face one, or perhaps two quarterbacks who each have only one career pass attempt. Interim coach Nunzio Campanile released SU’s depth chart Monday, which revealed redshirt freshman Braden Davis at No. 1. Davis, who transferred from South Carolina in the spring, had a pass attempt against Colgate this season.
Read: A Glimpse At USF’s Bowl History, Which Started In 2005
Redshirt sophomore Luke MacPhail is listed behind Davis. His lone pass, also this season, was an interception against Georgia Tech.
The reason Davis and MacPhail occupy the depth chart is due to Garrett Shrader having undergone shoulder surgery following the Orange’s regular-season finale against Wake Forest, a win that clinched bowl eligibility. It was Shrader’s last college game. He started 31 games in three seasons with SU after transferring from Mississippi State.
Instead of preparing for Shrader, who totaled 9,231 yards and 84 touchdowns in his collegiate career, the Bulls will get Davis and, possibly, MacPhail.
Campanile took over on an interim basis when Dino Babers was fired after the next-to-last game of the regular season. Things were looking good for Babers and the Orange the last time they went bowling in the Sunshine State. That was 2018 when they defeated West Virginia in the Camping World Bowl to finish 10-3. SU then went 23-36 prior to Babers’ firing. Fran Brown, who spent the last two seasons coaching defensive backs at Georgia, takes over after the bowl.
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