The 2021 football season brought a new wave of starting quarterbacks into the Big Ten — including a Heisman Trophy finalist.

Ohio State’s then-redshirt freshman C.J. Stroud earned the Buckeyes’ starting position following preseason camp in August 2021, and just about 400 miles east, redshirt sophomore Taulia Tagovailoa began to gear up for his first full season as starting quarterback at Maryland.

With the return of nonconference play and packed stadiums, Tagovailoa said a number of factors come into play and make a quarterback’s first season as starter difficult, but he thought Stroud’s Heisman-caliber season stood out.

“What he did, you know, especially filling in the shoes of Justin Fields, that's really hard. He handled everything perfectly,” Tagovailoa said.

Stroud’s season didn’t exactly go perfect, however.

The 6-foot-3 gunslinger recorded a season-worst 59.1% completion Week 1 at Minnesota, then nearly broke the single-game passing record — which he did to cap the season in the Rose Bowl — by throwing for 484 yards across 35 completions despite falling short to then-No. 12 Oregon 35-28.

Stroud then dealt with a shoulder injury, which he originally hurt and separated his A/C joint in the season-opener against the Gophers according to the Big Ten Network, and rested Week 4 against Akron, allowing then-true freshman Kyle McCord to make the first start of his career.

Following one week’s rest, Stroud caught momentum on a torrid pace, throwing for 14 touchdowns and averaging at least 72.7% completion in his next three games.

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, whose Wolverines limited the Buckeyes quarterback to just two touchdowns despite 394 passing yards during their upset victory last season, gave credit to Stroud during media days Tuesday. He said Stroud has a “tremendous” amount of ability to accurately locate his passes, which may translate to his confidence.

“He really doesn’t get flustered, even when you put pressure on him or hit him,” Harbaugh said. "Just really checks darn near every box, so really outstanding quarterback.”

Even after a challenging rivalry loss, Stroud and the Buckeyes bounced back and answered critics behind a 48-45 Rose Bowl victory in which he threw for 573 yards and six touchdowns on 80.4% completion.

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz, who is the longest-tenured Big Ten skipper after beginning his time in 1999, said he intentionally tries not to watch the Rose Bowl because it causes “some bad, bad nights of sleep,” but he thinks Ohio State has enough resources around Stroud to lead to more success.

“He's just an outstanding football player. They've got a lot of players around him that are really good, too,” Ferentz said. “Coach (Ryan) Day has done a great job there.”

Day and Stroud have their sights set on learning from last season and turning it into different outcomes in 2022. It won’t start without an immediate challenge, though, as Notre Dame will arrive at Ohio Stadium Sept. 3 for their first matchup since the Fiesta Bowl during the 2015 season.

In addition to wisdom from his older brother, former Alabama Heisman finalist and current Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Taulia Tagovailoa said he leaned into the challenge of becoming full-time starter.

And he’s confident Stroud will see a similar experience entering Year 2 as starter.

“The first season, it's always hard getting adjustment to the different stadiums, the different in-game things, but it's fun,” Taulia Tagovailoa said. “Going into this second season, I feel more confident. I feel good. I'm just ready to get to work.”