C. J. Stroud

Coleridge Bernard "C. J." Stroud IV (born October 3, 2001) is an American football quarterback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ohio State, where he holds many school records, including most passing yards in a single game with 573 as well as being the first player to throw for six touchdowns three times. Stroud was a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2021 and 2022 and was selected by the Texans second overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.

C. J. Stroud
refer to caption
Stroud in 2023
No. 7 – Houston Texans
Position:Quarterback
Personal information
Born: (2001-10-03) October 3, 2001
Rancho Cucamonga, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:218 lb (99 kg)
Career information
High school:Rancho Cucamonga
College:Ohio State (2020–2022)
NFL Draft:2023 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
NFL record
  • Most passing attempts without an interception to start a career: 192
Career NFL statistics as of Week 6, 2023
Passing attempts:213
Passing completions:127
Completion percentage:59.6%
TD–INT:9–1
Passing yards:1,660
Passer rating:96.4
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Early years

Stroud was born on October 3, 2001, in Rancho Cucamonga, California, the youngest of four children.[1][2] His father, Coleridge Bernard Stroud, III, received a 38-year sentence under California's three-strikes law[3] and has been incarcerated since Stroud was in middle school.[2][4] As of 2023, his father is serving his sentence in Folsom State Prison near Sacramento, with the earliest possible parole set for 2040. The incarceration sent the Stroud family into severe financial debt; they lived in a small apartment above a storage facility as Stroud entered Rancho Cucamonga High School.[5][6][7] As a senior, he was the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin offensive player of the year after passing for 3,878 yards and 47 touchdowns.[8] In 2019, he was the MVP of the Elite 11.[9] Stroud was selected to play in the 2020 All-American Bowl.[10] Initially considered a 3-star recruit, Stroud finished high school as the third-highest rated quarterback of his class.[11][12] He committed to Ohio State University to play college football.[13][14][15]

Stroud has been friends with Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young since the two went to rival high schools in Southern California. The two continued their friendship in college, and ultimately were selected with the first two picks in the 2023 NFL Draft.[16]

College career

2020 season
See also: 2020 Ohio State Buckeyes football team

Stroud spent his true freshman year at Ohio State redshirting as a backup to Justin Fields.[17][18] He played just one total snap in 2020; he scored a 48-yard rushing touchdown.[19]

2021 season
See also: 2021 Ohio State Buckeyes football team

Stroud was named the starting quarterback as a redshirt freshman following the departure of Fields to the 2021 NFL Draft. He was chosen over freshmen Kyle McCord, Quinn Ewers, and fellow redshirt freshman Jack Miller III. Coach Ryan Day credited his decision-making, leadership skills, and accuracy as the reasons that he earned the starting spot.[20]

Stroud started every game for the Buckeyes aside from a Week 4 game against Akron in order to rest a shoulder injury he sustained in the season opener.[21] Over the season, he earned first-team All-Big Ten Honors; was named the Big 10 quarterback of the year; won Big Ten Freshman of the Week six times; was a finalist for both the Davey O'Brien Award and the Heisman Trophy; and became the only quarterback in Ohio State history to throw five touchdowns against a Big Ten competitor four times in one season.[22] He led the team to a 10–2 record in the regular season, with losses to Oregon and bitter rival Michigan.[23] The loss to Michigan cost Ohio State the chance to play in the Big 10 Championship. Ohio State bounced back from this disappointment at the Rose Bowl; coming back from a 14-point deficit against Utah to win 48–45. Stroud broke both school and Rose Bowl records with 573 yards thrown in the Rose Bowl; he also tied a school record and set a Rose Bowl record with six touchdown passes.[24] He finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting.[25]

2022 season
See also: 2022 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
Stroud in 2022 against Michigan

Following a successful 2021 season, Stroud entered 2022 as one of the best players in college football, as well as the betting favorite to win the Heisman trophy.[26][27] On October 8, 2022, Stroud threw six touchdown passes against Michigan State, setting a conference record for “most six passing touchdown games in a career” (with 3), and passed Justin Fields to move to second place on the Ohio State career passing touchdowns list.[28][29] Stroud and the Buckeyes once again came up short against rival Michigan in their annual meeting, this time losing at home in Columbus 45–23.[30] Despite the loss, the Buckeyes were selected as the fourth and final team for the College Football Playoff.[31] In the Peach Bowl semifinal against the top-seeded Georgia Bulldogs, Stroud had a strong performance, throwing for 348 yards and four touchdowns, but the Buckeyes lost 42–41, ending their season.[32] At the conclusion of the regular season, he again was named a finalist for the Heisman trophy for his season. He finished third in the voting behind winner Caleb Williams from USC and Max Duggan from TCU.[33] On January 16, 2023, Stroud announced that he would forgo his remaining two years of college eligibility and enter the 2023 NFL Draft.[34]

College statistics
Season Games Passing Rushing
GPGSRecordCmpAttPctYdsAvgTDIntRtgAttYdsAvgTD
2020 30—000.000.0000.014848.01
2021 121210–231744171.94,43510.1446186.632−20−0.60
2022 131311–225838966.33,6889.5416176.235742.10
Career282521–457583069.38,1239.88512182.4681021.51

Professional career
Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span
6 ft 3 in
(1.91 m)		 214 lb
(97 kg)		 32+5⁄8 in
(0.83 m)		 10 in
(0.25 m)
All values from the NFL Combine[35][36]

Stroud was selected by the Houston Texans with the second overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on April 27, 2023.[37] Being second overall, Stroud became the highest drafted quarterback in Ohio State's history.[38]

2023 season
See also: 2023 Houston Texans season

On September 10, 2023, Stroud made his NFL Debut in week one against the Baltimore Ravens, where he threw for 242 yards in the 25–9 loss.[39] During Week 2 against the Indianapolis Colts, Stroud threw his first two NFL touchdowns, one to Nico Collins and the other to Tank Dell, and finished with 384 passing yards in the 20–31 loss. Stroud's 384 yards are the second-most in a single game by a Texans rookie quarterback.[40] The following week, against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Stroud finished 20-of-30 for 280 yards with two touchdowns as the Texans won 37–17.[41] He also joined Cam Newton and Justin Herbert as the only players in NFL history to put up at least 900 passing yards in their first three games.[42] Stroud was named the Offensive Rookie of the Month for September, finishing the month with 78 completions on 121 attempts with 906 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions.[43] In week five, Stroud threw his 177th pass attempt with no interception, breaking the previous NFL record set by Dak Prescott for the most pass attempts without an interception to begin a career in NFL history in a 21–19 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.[44] The streak ended the following week against the New Orleans Saints at 191 attempts; Saints linebacker Zack Baun intercepted the pass but had the ball punched out by wide receiver Nico Collins with offensive lineman Tytus Howard recovering the ball for the Texans.[45]

NFL career statistics
Year Team Games Passing Rushing Sacks Fumbles
GPGSRecordCmpAttPctYdsY/ATDIntRtgAttYdsAvgTDSckSckYFumLost
2023HOU 663–312721359.61,6607.89196.418553.101311532
Career663–312721359.61,6607.89196.418553.101311532

Personal life

Stroud is the son of Coleridge and Kimberly Stroud. He has two older brothers and one older sister.[46] He is a Christian.[47]

References
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  2. Carpenter, Zack (February 8, 2020). ""I've Been Through Hell and Back:" C.J. Stroud's Roller-Coaster Upbringing Taught Him How to "Scratch and Claw Through Life"". Eleven Warriors. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  3. "People v. Stroud". casetext.com. Casetext, Inc. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  4. Wasserman, Ari (November 14, 2019). "Ohio State QB target C.J. Stroud's past and what it can tell us about the future". The Athletic. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  5. Dellenger, Ross. "Family, Football and Forgiveness: C.J. Stroud's Road to the Playoff Was Anything but Easy". si.com. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  6. Marshall, Pete (September 5, 2019). "Rancho Cucamonga quarterback C.J. Stroud adjusts to being in high demand". Daily Bulletin. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  7. Spratling, Shotgun (November 19, 2019). "Rancho Cucamonga quarterback CJ Stroud is highly coveted but uncommitted". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  8. Robin, Brian (December 29, 2019). "Rancho Cucamonga's C.J. Stroud is the Sun/Bulletin offensive player of the year". Daily Bulletin. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  9. Jordan, Jason (August 14, 2019). "Chosen 25 quarterback C.J. Stroud settling in to stardom after winning MVP of Elite 11". USA TODAY High School Sports. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  10. Ramos, Gus (November 5, 2019). "Four-Star Quarterback CJ Stroud Honored as a 2020 All-American". NBCSports. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
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