C.J. Stroud has taken the NFL by storm this season amid a standout rookie campaign that has been key in propelling the Houston Texans to a resurgent season under first-year head coach DeMeco Ryans. Stroud first garnered national attention, though, for his game-changing exploits with the Ohio State Buckeyes.
C.J. Stroud’s Standout College Career
Stroud was a highly-touted five-star recruit during his high school days at Rancho Cucamonga High in California, leading him to sign with Ohio State as his collegiate home. He did not have much of an impact as a true freshman in 2020, but he quickly burst onto the scene the next year.
Stroud exploded for 4,435 passing yards with 44 touchdowns and just six interceptions on a 71.9% completion rate in his first year as the starter, leading the Buckeyes to an 11-2 record. He was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy that season but finished behind Bryce Young, who won the award after a standout season at Alabama.
Stroud followed that up with another strong showing in 2022, completing 66.3% of his pass attempts for 3,688 yards, 41 touchdowns, and six interceptions as Ohio State again went 11-2. He once again was a finalist for the Heisman, this time losing out to USC quarterback Caleb Williams’ heroics in a ridiculous season of his own.
One of the few blemishes on Stroud’s collegiate career, outside of not winning the Heisman or a national championship, is that he and Ohio State were unable to beat Michigan in either of his two seasons as the starting quarterback. The Buckeyes fell 42-27 to the Wolverines in 2021 and by a 45-23 score in 2022, two of Stroud’s four losses as a starter.
His other two defeats came in one-score games against Oregon in the 2021 regular season and Georgia in the 2022 College Football Playoff semifinals.
Stroud then relinquished his remaining collegiate eligibility in declaring for the NFL Draft and was subsequently taken No. 2 overall by the Texans, one spot below the top pick in Young and two slots ahead of now-division rival Anthony Richardson.
His career has begun with the biggest bang of perhaps any player from that draft class thus far.
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Stroud racked up 4,108 passing yards for 23 touchdowns and just five interceptions across 15 regular-season starts this year, missing a pair of games due to being in the concussion protocol. He has also ran for 167 yards and three more scores while losing eight fumbles and taking 38 sacks.
Stroud’s exploits helped lead Houston to its first playoff berth since 2019 and the AFC South championship. Now, he hopes to lead the Texans to their first postseason win since the 2019 season. Stroud and the Texans will host the Cleveland Browns on Saturday of Wild Card Weekend.
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