Ohio State Football: C.J. Stroud improved quickly

The Ohio State football team was in need of a new starting quarterback after Justin Fields had left in the 2020 season. There was no one on the roster who had taken significant snaps yet. It was a three-quarterback race and C.J. Stroud was the one who emerged at the top.

I was on the record as saying that I thought Kyle McCord should have won the starting job. Early on, it looked like I was right. Stroud struggled in the first two games of the season, including a stunning loss at home to the Oregon Ducks. He didn’t look sharp when the team needed him most.

Let me tell you, I was dead wrong. After that game, Stroud sat out the Akron game to heal his shoulder. Once it healed, he was pretty much lights out the rest of the year. He improved so quickly from that loss against Oregon to the end of the season against Utah in the Rose Bowl.

Stroud’s improvement could have just been as simple as getting healthy. Once that shoulder felt better, maybe he had more confidence in himself once he knew he was healthy. Perhaps he just needed some experience on the field to get his feet wet.

Whatever the reason, Stroud was a shining star the rest of the season. He was truly great when he needed to be. Now that he has an entire year under his belt, he should be even better this year. He’s in the running to be the number one overall pick in next year’s NFL Draft.

Stroud can’t carry this team though. The defense still has to show that it can stop teams. They don’t need to be an all-world defense because Stroud and the rest of the offense are so good, but Stroud still needs some help from that side of the ball.

I really can’t wait to see the elements that Stroud has improved in his game. It’s going to be a fun season to watch.