COLUMBUS, Ohio — There was no question who would be at the front of the line for Ohio State’s quarterback drills at the start of spring camp.
C.J. Stroud was no longer that quarterback known for having never thrown a college pass. Instead, he was a veteran, 13 games into his college career. He knew what to expect in the spring, leading teammates Kyle McCord and Devin Brown through drills, working with the running backs on handoffs early on in their first day back.
As Ohio State head coach Ryan Day watched his unquestioned starter go through drills, he saw a solidified college quarterback, but one with so much room to grow heading into his second year as a starter.
“You were kind of learning what to do,” Day said. “Now you kind of learn why you do it.”
For Day and offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson, that means giving Stroud more and more control.
Coming out of his freshman season in which the redshirt freshman was named the Big Ten’s Offensive Player, Quarterback and Freshman of the Year, leading the conference in passing yards, touchdowns and quarterback efficiency, Stroud has what Day calls “a rolodex of plays” under his belt. Heading into his second game as a starter, the head coach is expanding it, putting more on his plate at the line of scrimmage and in play calling.
To Wilson, that means giving the redshirt sophomore the ability to adjust plays and protections at the line of scrimmage instead of relaying that information to him from the sideline, allowing Stroud to keep his eyes on the defense at all times.
“He can handle a lot mentally. He’s extremely gifted and talented, but he’s equally as smart and equally aware of the field, his ability to see and put it all together is uniquely high,” Wilson said. “I think we can put a little more on his plate. I think Ryan has a phenomenal amount of confidence in his ability, to trust his ability to get protections right and the ball out to the right guys and not force it.”
Day has confidence in his entire room heading into spring ball.
The Ohio State head coach was incredibly impressed with sophomore quarterback Kyle McCord, saying that he “picked up where he left off in Rose Bowl practice.” Freshman quarterback Devin Brown, Day said, handled his first day of spring ball pretty well, knowing that the more reps he and McCord have the better the Buckeyes will be.
But he feels better just to have a veteran at quarterback, something that normally isn’t a title for a player with only 13 games under his belt.
That’s the reality for the Buckeyes heading into 2022. Other than a few players like sixth-year tight end and fullback Mitch Rossi and fifth-year offensive guard Matthew Jones, the veterans on this team are the second-year starters, Wilson said.
But that’s the exciting thing for the offensive coordinator, seeing a group of players on offense that have the potential to make that jump, starting to do the things that make teams truly great.
And it starts with Stroud.
“To me, that’s exciting thinking how good C.J. could be because you like to think about a guy who started high, but you would like to think there’s a lot more in that ceiling,” Wilson said.
Watching Stroud lead the warm-up line, taking the first snaps on drills, Day saw a veteran. But the head coach didn't see a veteran who had peaked.
Day knows Stroud has never thought that either.
“I think when you dive into C.J., you realize he’s highly motivated. Just the way he came out and played in the Rose Bowl, you can see that he comes out with the mindset that he has something to prove every day. He does. That’s just the way he’s wired,” Day said. “I think that’s what gives him the opportunity to be great. Is he great yet? No, he’s not, but he’s on his way there. And I think it’s that approach of ‘I have to prove myself every single day.’
“I think that’s just the way he was brought up, the way the things have happened in his life, and I expect him to be that way this spring and into the preseason and into next year because, like you said, there’s still a lot to prove.”
