Meet CJ Stroud: Ohio State's Starting Quarterback & Heisman Sleeper

Ohio State has four players on their roster that I would expect to be Power 5 quarterbacks. That being said, they all have four years of eligibility left, and they all have not thrown a pass in a college football game yet. This means that there is plenty of talent but no production to speak of. The key here is finding a player that can distribute the ball to all of the playmakers on the roster. 

CJ Stroud: The Starter

CJ Stroud will be the starter, per Ryan Day. Stroud was said to have created separation last week, and this was confirmed by Day on Saturday morning. The Buckeyes had their second scrimmage, and Stroud graded out as a champion in both scrimmages.

While we don't know what the other QBs were able to do on Friday, we do know that Stroud was the only QB to grade as a champion from a list that was leaked days later. This is a sign that Stroud not only was the best QB on the team in the scrimmages but that he is also playing very well to grade out as a champion in both scrimmages.

How Stroud Ended Up At Ohio State

Stroud was a late riser as a recruit, and he emerged at the Elite 11 QB camp going into his senior year. Ohio State recruits had a major presence at the camp, and Stroud won MVP over players like Bryce Young, the consensus 5-star recruit and expected starter at Alabama this year.

Ohio State recruits were on Stroud's team and quickly developed a bond that led to Ryan Day moving on the QB out of Rancho Cucamonga High School and eventually landing his commitment over teams like Michigan and Georgia. Stroud was the second QB in a class with Jack Miller, who was once a top 100 rated player before dealing with multiple injuries throughout his high school career and eventually being a low-end 4 star.

Heisman Odds

Stroud has the fourth-best odds to win the Heisman Trophy Award, despite being a first-year starter.

Of course, the favorite. is Oklahoma's Spencer Rattler (+550). Then, Clemson's D.J. Uiagalelei (+660). Alabama's starter, Young, is third (+800).

Stroud has +1000 odds to walk away with the Heisman trophy, meaning a bet of $100 would pay $1,100 if he wins the award.

Stroud's Backups

I would expect Kyle McCord to be the true backup is if CJ Stroud were to have any issues arise. That being said, I don't think that Ohio State would have any concerns about Miller being the emergency starter if they came down to it, as I said earlier. They believe that they have four future high-end QBs, and I think this will allow them to run the QB a bit more than they did with Justin Fields, even if the current QBs don't have the same athleticism.

McCord is a 5-star recruit from Philadelphia that is a true freshman after enrolling in January. McCord was supposed to be the only QB in the 2021 class until Quinn Ewers decided to reclassify at the last second and show up at Ohio State at the beginning of fall camp. Ewers is likely the most naturally gifted of the bunch, but he really has had no reps to even get a feel for the offense and would be the fourth QB in the game if it came down to it, especially early on in the season.