Stroud named new starter for Ohio State
COLUMBUS, Ohio –– It’s official.
While all signs pointed to C.J. Stroud being the frontrunner for the Buckeyes’ vacant starting quarterback job for months on end, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day finally ended the ongoing three-man position battle on Saturday.
Barring injury, the redshirt freshman from Rancho, Cucamonga, California, will take the first snap under center for Ohio State against Minnesota on Sept. 2.
"Over the body of work between the spring and then also through the preseason, separated himself with his decision-making, his leadership skills, his accuracy," Day said. "So now we got to go prepare to play a game."
Stroud, a four-star recruit and the No. 51 overall prospect in the class of 2020, committed to the Buckeye program on Early Signing Day in December 2019.
While fellow heralded Buckeye recruit J.T. Tuimoloau changed the very definition of “late commitment” when he joined Ohio State’s class of 2021 just one month before preseason camp opened, Stroud’s own commitment came nearly 18 months after four-star Arizona quarterback prospect Jack Miller committed to the Buckeyes’ 2019 class.
Stroud and Miller both entered the program as early enrollees in January 2020, and despite neither one attempting a pass in backup duty to Justin Fields, each player scored a rushing touchdown as they split series at the end of a few games this past season.
When Fields left the Sugar Bowl for a play due to an apparent rib and hip injury though, it was Stroud that got the nod from the Buckeye coaching staff, which seemed to indicate he may have been the leader of the pack in the race to replace Fields.
Another highly-touted prospect joined the competition at the top of 2021 though, as Philadelphia native Kyle McCord entered the program as the No. 34 overall player in the latest Ohio State recruiting class.
During this past April’s spring game, all three had their shot at impressing the Buckeye coaching staff and fans alike. Stroud tossed a pair of touchdowns and 185 yards with no turnovers while leading the Buckeye offense on three scoring drives, McCord went 12-for-17 with 184 yards and two scores, and Miller finished 17-for-30 passing with 128 yards, no TDs and an interception.
Stroud took the bulk of the first-team reps in both spring and fall practice sessions that were open to the media this offseason, but Day and the Ohio State coaching staff remained tight-lipped on the competition all throughout the process.
"Proud of him, happy for him. The other guys in the room understand that this is a long season, and that room has to be strong," Day said. "We know at Ohio State that it takes everybody in that room, so that room needs to continue to work. It's a long way to January, and that's been the message. And the focus has to continue to be about development, but also to encourage the other guys in that room."
Five-star freshman and No. 1 overall high school prospect Quinn Ewers was another name added to the mix at quarterback when he reclassified to the class of 2021 and joined the Buckeye program last week, but Day said the Texas native is only just getting "indoctrinated into the offense."
In fact, Day said Ewers has actually been unavailable for the past couple days due to a physical issue, but expects to have him back in practice by the end of the coming week.
As for Stroud's reaction to the news that he locked down the job, Day said the second-year Buckeye was enthusiastic, but knows that the real battle has only just begun with the 2021 season quickly approaching.
"He was excited for sure, and fired up," Day said. "He's not an overly emotional guy in those type of situations, I think he knows this is just an opportunity. It's not an accomplishment, it's an opportunity, and I think he looked at it like that. So now we gotta go about the business of putting it on the field."