Eagles Rookie QB Reveals Unique Connection With New Coach

While newly hired Philadelphia Eagles quarterback coach Scot Loeffler may not have had an outsized voice in Philly’s War Room during the 2025 NFL draft, his voice will definitely be heard during the season.

Along with guiding Super Bowl MVP quarterback Jalen Hurts as the Eagles try and defend their world title, he’ll also be guiding a familiar face who could very well end up as Hurts’ backup in fifth round pick Kyle McCord, who Loeffler has a very unique connection with that dates back to McCord’s middle school days.

“Scot Loeffler has believed in Eagles rookie quarterback Kyle McCord since the eighth grade,” Sports Illustrated’s John McMullen wrote on May 2. “And the veteran coach has the receipts to prove it. Loeffler, then the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Boston College, offered McCord, the 181st overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft last week, his first college scholarship even before McCord started playing his high school ball at St. Joe’s Prep in Philadelphia.”

Loeffler Left College HC Job for Eagles

While Loeffler is entering his 30th season as a coach, it’s only his second season in the NFL — he spent 2008 as the quarterbacks coach for the Detroit Lions as they went 0-16 and became the first non-expansion team to go winless since World War II.

ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg reported on February 28 that the Eagles had hired Loeffler as their new quarterbacks coach after 4 seasons as Bowling Green’s head coach. Loeffler replaced Doug Nussmeier, who left to become the offensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints after former Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore was hired as the Saints head coach.

With Hurts in the prime of his career, the biggest decision Loeffler will have this offseason cold be picking who the No. 2 quarterback will be in a battle between McCord, Tanner McKee and Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

Eagles Praised for Taking ‘Flyer’ on McCord

The Ringer’s Steven Ruiz thinks McCord might actually end up leapfrogging McKee to become Philadelphia’s No. 2 quarterback behind Hurts.

“I like the Kyle McCord pick,” Ruiz said on “The Ringer NFL Show” podcast on April 27. “Like I think that’s a good flyer to take on Day 3. It kind of fits with their decent rotation of quarterbacks they have now. Like even if Jalen Hurts gets hurt, I feel like they have two guys that they could go to … I think eventually McCord could be a guy that could step in and start a couple games in a row.”

McCord grew up in the Eagles’ backyard, where he led St. Joseph’s (N.J.) Prep to 3 consecutive state championships alongside current Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. 

McCord started at Ohio State in 2023 before he transferred to Syracuse for his final season. He led the FBS in passing in 2024 with 4,779 passing yards to go with 34 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

“It has been a little bit of a wild ride,” McCord told NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Dave Zangaro. “ … to go into the portal, one year at Syracuse, and to have the year that we had, it was a lot of fun. And so being (with Eagles) right now, it’s a little surreal. It was a dream growing up, and so just trying to soak it all in.”