C. J. Stroud
Coleridge "C. J." Bernard Stroud IV (born October 3, 2001) is an American football quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes. He played high school football at Rancho Cucamonga High School in Rancho Cucamonga, California. Stroud holds many Ohio State records, including most passing yards in a single game with 573, and was also a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2021. Early years. Stroud was born on October 3, 2001, and later attended Rancho Cucamonga High School in Rancho Cucamonga, California. As a senior, he was the "Inland Valley Daily Bulletin" offensive player of the year after passing for  3,878 yards and 47 touchdowns. In 2019, he was the MVP of the Elite 11. Stroud was selected to play in the 2020 All-American Bowl. He committed to Ohio State University to play college football. College career. 2020. Stroud spent his true freshman year at Ohio State as a backup to Justin Fields. He did not attempt any passes but had a 48-yard rushing touchdown. 2021. Stroud was named the starting quarterback as a redshirt-freshman following the departure of Fields to the 2021 NFL Draft. He was chosen over freshman Kyle McCord and fellow redshirt-freshman Jack  Miller III. Coach Ryan Day credited his decision-making, leadership skills and accuracy as the reason he earned the starting spot. Stroud started all his regular season games except for one against Akron in order to rest a shoulder injury he sustained in the season opener. Over the season, he earned first team All-Big Ten Honors, won Big Ten Freshman of the Week six times, was a finalist for the Davey O'Brien Award, and was the only quarterback in Ohio State history to throw for five touchdowns against Big Ten competition four times in a single season. He led  the team to a 10-2 record in the regular season, losing to Michigan in their final game. However, he and Ohio State bounced back from this disappointment at the Rose Bowl, coming back from a 14 point deficit against Utah to win 48-45 in a thriller. Stroud threw for a school and Rose Bowl record 573 yards in the win, and also tied a school record and set a Rose Bowl record with 6 touchdown passes.