Stroud torn about decision to leave OSU
INDIANAPOLIS — To almost everyone else, C.J. Stroud’s decision to enter the NFL draft was a no-brainer.
It wasn’t to the Ohio State quarterback, even if he’s projected to be one of the first players selected.
“I was honestly going to come back to school,” Stroud said Friday at the NFL combine. “It was really hard for me to leave a place like Ohio State where it takes time to get to where I was at. It takes a lot of heart and a lot of trustbuilding and a lot of camaraderie off the field. It’s something you can’t just throw in the trash right away.”
As sterling as Stroud’s two years as a starter were, he didn’t accomplish his top goals. Ohio State lost to Michigan twice, depriving the Buckeyes of a Big Ten title and dooming his chances to win the Heisman Trophy. The 2021 loss in Ann Arbor kept OSU out of the College Football Playoff. Despite a brilliant performance by Stroud, the Buckeyes lost a 42-41 heartbreaker to Georgia in last year’s CFP semifinals.
So it became a bit of a head vs. heart decision.
“Coming into the league was a smart decision for me, I feel,” he said. “But it
was really hard. Of course, not beating that team up north and not winning a national championship were two goals of mind, and of course, not winning the Heisman was I feel because of those losses. That kind of hurts. I feel like I could have won Heismans back to back if I win those two games.
“But I think it’s part of God’s plan, and I don’t question that. It put a little more fire on me, put another chip on my
shoulder. So I’m excited to go to the league and do better things than that.”
Stroud has a chance to become the highest-drafted quarterback in OSU history. Art Schlichter was the fourth pick of the 1983 draft by the Baltimore Colts.
NFL talent evaluators have few questions about Stroud as a passer. He threw for 8,123 yards and 85 touchdowns with only 12 interceptions while completing 69.3% of his passes. Ohio State receivers raved about his accuracy and touch.
Stroud’s performance against Georgia allayed concerns about his ability or willingness to run. That was one of the few criticisms of Stroud at Ohio State, and a question he has addressed with NFL teams.
“I’ll be honest, I told them like I’ll tell y’all,” Stroud said. “I didn’t do it a lot in college, and I feel like I should have. It’s something I do regret. I feel like I could have done it a lot more.”
But Stroud disagrees with those who question his overall athleticism. Especially last year, he did a better job of moving around or out of the pocket to make plays.
“I think when you turn on the film and you really watch what I do, and you really look at film game to game, I have used my athleticism, not only just in the Georgia game, where I did it a lot,” he said. “I’ve done it in every other game. I’ve had tough third-down runs. I’ve had tough fourth-down runs. But there were times I didn’t run the ball when maybe I should have.
“I feel like that’s something that I learned, and that’s what football is about. It’s about stepping back up to the plate and going back and working hard and fixing those problems.”