Nebraska football transfer target going elsewhere is 'weird:' Paul Finebaum

There was a time, not all that long ago, when it seemed the Nebraska football team was destined to land one of the best quarterbacks in the transfer portal. Kyle McCord just happened to also be one of the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten in 2023.

Thigns move fast in the transfer portal era. Especially when things are coming to a head. Once Dylan Raiola started trending for the Nebraska football team, McCord started fading away. Eventually, he signed with the Syracuse Orangemen.

"Syracuse is an utterly perplexing decision"

- Paul Finebaum

There were plenty of peopel who were surprised about the Raiola development. There were even more a bit surprised that McCord didn't pull the trigger for the Huskers. Count ESPN personality Paul Finebaum who was seemingly pretty shocked.

Finebaum made an appearance on ‘SportsCenter’ earlier this week with Shae Peppler. During that appearance, he gave his brutally honest opinion on the former Buckeye’s decision.

“Shae I think I spoke too soon because I thought he would land at a major school, aor somewhere else that was in play," Finebaum said during his appearance. "But Syracuse is an utterly perplexing decision."

While many people, not just Finebaum, expected McCord to stay in the Big Ten and the Cornhuskers, he chose the ACC also-ran and new head coach Fran Brown.

“It’s a program that quite frankly doesn’t have a great path of coming back quickly,” Finebaum added. “I appreciate him getting another opportunity, but a year ago this guy was considered all-everything, a can’t miss and now he’s going to Syracuse. It’s weird.”

Nebraska football getting shunned is a surprise

There are a couple of things to keep in mind when it comes to McCord's new school. Those factors don't seem to be at Finebaum's fingertips.

The first is that by most recent reports, the Nebraska football team was the one that told McCord "thanks but no thanks." Just how and why is up for debate, but the arrival of Dylan Raiola seems to have played a part.

There's also the fact that Syracuse is much closer than Nebraska football's Lincoln to McCord's hometown of Mt. Laurel, New Jersey. Having said all of that, the former Ohio State star is going to have to prove doubters wrong when they talk about him making the wrong decision.