Ohio State football: Why C.J. Stroud deserves starting QB spot

The Ohio State football team will have a new quarterback next season. Over the next three days, we will tell you why each contender deserves the job. First up is C.J. Stroud.

Justin Fields has spoiled the Ohio State football team with his quarterback play over the last two seasons. He was everything that Ryan Day could have wanted and more. Now with him departing, it’s time for a new quarterback to take his mantle. C.J. Stroud is one of the players vying for that starting job.

Here is his case for getting the job. Stroud was a four-star recruit out of high school and performed extraordinarily well at the Elite 11 QB camp. He was the first quarterback besides Fields to take a snap in 2020 as well, as he was the backup in the Nebraska game.

While Stroud did not throw a single pass in 2020, he did have an excellent 48-yard touchdown run in the Michigan State game. On that run, he showed his wheels and what kind of dual-threat quarterback he can be if he gets starting snaps.

Stroud would also be the easy choice if Quinn Ewers keeps his commitment. It would be much easier to move on from a junior in 2022 if Ewers does in fact win the job than it would be from a sophomore like Kyle McCord. That may not be a huge factor but should be considered nonetheless.

Based on high school film, Stroud has a stronger arm than Jack Miller and looks to be more athletic. That would seem to indicate that he would have the edge over Miller. He also has been in the system for a year, so that would give him an edge over McCord.

We obviously won’t know who wins the starting job until the Spring Game. There has been some buzz around the program that Stroud could be the favorite right now. But no one has taken a snap yet in 2021, so none of that noise matters right now.

The Ohio State football team just needs to pick the player who gives them the best chance to win, and there’s no doubt Coach Day will do just that.