I've heard the following from people connected at OSU: McCord had the head start and seemed like a forgone conclusion Ewers would transfer once he arrived. He came in a bit out of shape, had effort and personality issues with the coaching staff... it was a mess. Yet here we are at the end of the season and the belief is Ewers has a potentially significant edge on McCord and would be the large betting favorite to replace CJ as starter in '22 were CJ able to go pro now. Then throw in Devin Brown into the mix (basically a lock there; I really fucking hope Sark was smart enough to have a Plan D, E and maybe F...), who many believe has more raw talent than McCord and a full year to develop before the competition truly starts?
TLDR Ewers came in with disadvantages and the people who cover them on the daily seem to think Ewers has already passed McCord. I would think if McCord is self aware he sees that also. Fully expect he transfers if Brown picks OSU and that seems like a ~90% likely outcome currently.