Stroud gets nod to be Ohio State starting QB
Freshman C.J. Stroud will start at quarterback for No. 4 Ohio State in the season opener against Minnesota, coach Ryan Day said Saturday.
Stroud, who had been the apparent leader in the quarterback derby since spring practice, was chosen over fellow second-year player Jack Miller and true freshmen Kyle McCord and Quinn Ewers.
“Over the body of work between the spring and then also through preseason, (Stroud) separated himself with his decisionmaking, his leadership skills, his accuracy,” Day said. “Now, we got to go prepare to go play a game.”
Day wouldn’t say who would be next in line.
“The other guys in the room understand that this is a long season and that room has to be strong,” he said. “We know at Ohio State that it takes everybody in that room, so that room needs to continue to work. It’s a long way to January and that’s been the message. The focus has to continue to be about development, but also to encourage the other guys in that room.”
The 6-foot-3, 218-pound Stroud played sparingly in mop-up duty last year behind Heisman-finalist Justin Fields in the pandemics hortened season. He has yet to throw a pass in a college game.
TROJANS AD TALKS ABOUT HELTON >> USC athletic director Mike Bohn had the chance to defend embattled coach Clay Helton.
He could have taken Helton off the proverbial hot seat before his sixth season leading the Trojans, who are ranked 15th in The Associated Press Top 25 preseason poll and expected to contend for the Pac-12 title.
But Bohn declined Thursday to offer his full support for Helton, only going as far as downplaying the idea the upcoming campaign would be one that makes or breaks his position leading the most storied college football program on the West Coast.
“For those that know our program, we recognize the improvement in the program and all the different things we’re doing. Our trajectory is strong, so I don’t think that’s accurate,” Bohn said. “We know the championship expectations. We’re competitive. That’s why we’re here and that’s why we continue to make the improvements that we make, but some of those national people maybe don’t understand all the different things that are going on here. And all you have to do is watch these young players and the way this recruiting class is really producing for him and us, and we’re encouraged.”
Helton has been under pressure practically from the moment he was named the permanent head coach prior to the 2017 Pac-12 championship game. He is 39-21 since then, with one conference title, a Rose Bowl win, and two division crowns to his credit.
However, USC has never been in serious contention for the College Football Playoff during his tenure, lost three straight games to intersectional rival Notre Dame, and sustained blowout losses to Alabama and Ohio State that reflect how far it has been from contending for national titles.
Coming off a shortened 2020 season where the Trojans went 5-0 in conference games before losing in the Pac-12 title game to Oregon on their home field, Bohn said he expects Helton to be in the mix for the top prizes in the sport going forward.