C. J. Stroud
CJ Stroud NFL Combine (cropped).png
Stroud at the 2023 NFL Combine
Ohio State Buckeyes – No. 7
PositionQuarterback
Class
Redshirt
Sophomore
Personal information
Born: (2001-10-03) October 3, 2001 (age 21)
Rancho Cucamonga, California, U.S.
Height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight214 lb (97 kg)
Career history
College
Bowl games
High schoolRancho Cucamonga
Career highlights and awards

Coleridge Bernard "C. J." Stroud IV (born October 3, 2001) is an American football quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes. He holds many Ohio State records, including most passing yards in a single game with 573 as well as being the first player to throw for six touchdowns three times. Stroud was a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2021 and 2022.

Early years

Stroud was born on October 3, 2001, in Rancho Cucamonga, California, the youngest of four children.[1][2] His father has been incarcerated since Stroud was in middle school.[2][3] Stroud attended Rancho Cucamonga High School[4][5] As a senior, he was the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin offensive player of the year after passing for 3,878 yards and 47 touchdowns.[6] In 2019, he was the MVP of the Elite 11.[7] Stroud was selected to play in the 2020 All-American Bowl.[8] Initially considered a 3-star recruit, Stroud would finish high school as the third-highest rated quarterback of his class.[9][10] He committed to Ohio State University to play college football.[11][12][13]

College career

2020

See also: 2020 Ohio State Buckeyes football team

Stroud spent his true freshman year at Ohio State redshirting as a backup to Justin Fields.[14][15] He played just one total snap in 2020; he scored a 48-yard rushing touchdown.[16]

2021

See also: 2021 Ohio State Buckeyes football team

Stroud was named the starting quarterback as a redshirt-freshman following the departure of Fields to the 2021 NFL Draft. He was chosen over freshmen Kyle McCord, Quinn Ewers, and fellow redshirt-freshman Jack Miller III. Coach Ryan Day credited his decision-making, leadership skills, and accuracy as the reasons that he earned the starting spot.[17]

Stroud started every game for the Buckeyes aside from a Week 2 game against Akron in order to rest a shoulder injury he sustained in the season opener.[18] Over the season, he earned first team All-Big Ten Honors; was named the Big 10 quarterback of the year; won Big Ten Freshman of the Week six times; was a finalist for both the Davey O'Brien Award and the Heisman Trophy (losing both to Bryce Young); and became the only quarterback in Ohio State history to throw five touchdowns against a Big Ten competitor four times in one season.[19] He led the team to a 10-2 record in the regular season, with losses to Oregon and bitter rival Michigan. The loss to Michigan cost OSU the chance to play in the Big 10 Championship. Ohio State bounced back from this disappointment at the Rose Bowl; coming back from a 14-point deficit against Utah to win 48-45. Stroud broke both OSU and Rose Bowl records with 573 yards thrown in the Rose Bowl; he also tied an OSU record and set a Rose Bowl record with 6 touchdown passes.

2022

Stroud in 2022 against Michigan
Stroud in 2022 against Michigan

Following a successful 2021 season, Stroud entered 2022 as one of the best players in college football, as well as the betting favorite to win the Heisman trophy.[20][21] On October 8, 2022, Stroud threw 6 touchdown passes against Michigan State, setting a conference record for “most 6 passing touchdown games in a career” (with 3), and passed Justin Fields to move to second place on the Ohio State career passing touchdowns list.[22][23] Stroud and the Buckeyes once again came up short against rival Michigan in their annual meeting, this time losing at home in Columbus 45-23. Despite the loss, the Buckeyes were selected as the fourth and final team for the College Football Playoff. In the Peach Bowl semifinal against the top seeded Georgia Bulldogs, Stroud would have a strong performance, throwing for 348 yards and 4 touchdowns, but the Buckeyes would fall 42-41, ending their season. At the conclusion of the regular season, he again was named a finalist for the Heisman trophy for his season. He finished third in the voting behind winner Caleb Williams from USC and Max Duggan from TCU. On January 16, 2023, Stroud announced that he would forgo his remaining two years of college eligibility and enter the 2023 NFL Draft.[24]

Statistics

Season Games Passing Rushing
GP GS Record Cmp Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Rtg Att Yds Avg TD
2020 3 0 — 0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 1 48 48.0 1
2021 12 12 10−2 317 441 71.9 4,435 10.1 44 6 186.6 32 -20 -0.6 0
2022 13 13 11−2 235 355 66.2 3,340 9.4 37 6 176.2 35 74 2.1 0
Career[25] 28 25 21−4 552 796 69.3 7,775 9.8 81 12 187.2 68 102 1.5 1

References

  1. ^ meganhusslein (October 4, 2022). "Happy Belated Birthday, C.J.! 21 things to love about Stroud". Land-Grant Holy Land. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  2. ^ a b ""I've Been Through Hell and Back:" C.J. Stroud's Roller-Coaster Upbringing Taught Him How to "Scratch and Claw Through Life"". Eleven Warriors. February 8, 2020. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  3. ^ Wasserman, Ari. "Ohio State QB target C.J. Stroud's past and what it can tell us about the future". The Athletic. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  4. ^ "Rancho Cucamonga quarterback C.J. Stroud adjusts to being in high demand". September 5, 2019.
  5. ^ "Rancho Cucamonga quarterback CJ Stroud is highly coveted but uncommitted". Los Angeles Times. November 19, 2019.
  6. ^ "Rancho Cucamonga's C.J. Stroud is the Sun/Bulletin offensive player of the year". December 29, 2019.
  7. ^ "Chosen 25 quarterback C.J. Stroud settling in to stardom after winning MVP of Elite 11". August 14, 2019.
  8. ^ Ramos, Gus (November 5, 2019). "Four-Star Quarterback CJ Stroud Honored as a 2020 All-American".
  9. ^ "How CJ Stroud went from under-the-radar recruit to Ohio State's starting QB". On3. August 25, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  10. ^ "C.J. Stroud, Ohio State Buckeyes, Quarterback". 247Sports. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  11. ^ "CJ Stroud, 4-star QB, commits to Ohio State football on National Signing Day 2020: Buckeyes recruiting". cleveland. December 18, 2019.
  12. ^ "4-star QB CJ Stroud chooses Ohio State over Michigan, others". mlive. December 18, 2019.
  13. ^ Kaufman, Joey. "Ohio State lands top uncommitted quarterback C.J. Stroud". Buckeyextra.
  14. ^ "Is C.J. Stroud Ohio State football's backup quarterback now? Ryan Day still non-committal". cleveland. December 8, 2020.
  15. ^ "OSU EARLY ENROLLEES: C.J. Stroud part of battle for Buckeyes' QB of the future". sanduskyregister.com.
  16. ^ "WATCH: C.J. Stroud runs 48 yards for an Ohio State touchdown against Michigan". Buckeyes Wire. December 5, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  17. ^ "Ohio St. tabs Stroud to start opener vs. Gophers". ESPN.com. August 21, 2021. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  18. ^ "Ohio State Quarterback C.J. Stroud Separated AC Joint In Season Opener At Minnesota". Sports Illustrated. October 4, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  19. ^ "Ohio State Buckeyes Football Roster - CJ Stroud". ohiostatebuckeyes.com. January 14, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  20. ^ "College football's top 100 players for 2022: Will Anderson Jr., Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and more". ESPN.com. August 17, 2022. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  21. ^ "Heisman Trophy 2022: Top-15 preseason odds a week before college football's first kickoff". For The Win. August 20, 2022. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  22. ^ Lind, Andrew. "C.J. Stroud Shakes Off Pick-Six To Set Ohio State, Big Ten Record For Six-TD Games". Sports Illustrated Ohio State Buckeyes News, Analysis and More. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  23. ^ "Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud attracts national buzz after shredding Michigan State with six TD passes". 247Sports. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  24. ^ Rabinowitz, Bill. "Ohio State QB CJ Stroud makes it official: He's headed to the NFL". The Columbus Dispatch. No. 16 January 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  25. ^ "Ohio State Buckeyes Football Roster - CJ Stroud". ohiostatebuckeyes.com. January 14, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2021.

External links

Ohio State Buckeyes starting quarterbacks
Griese–Brees Quarterback of the Year winners
Categories