Ohio State's only two-time Heisman Trophy finalist, C.J. Stroud finished 4th in 2021, and 3rd in 2022 with one of college football's best wide receiver units: Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Marvin Harrison, Jr. In two seasons as the starter at Ohio State, Stroud finished 21-4 with over 345 passing yards in each of the four losses. Ohio State beat Utah in the 2021 Rose Bowl, and gave Georgia the best game of the season in the 2022 National Championship Semifinal, ultimately losing narrowly, 42-41. Stroud had one of the best games of his college career versus Georgia in the playoff, throwing for 348 yards and four touchdowns, and adding 34 yards on the ground. He finished his career in Columbus with 8,123 passing yards and an incredible 8:1 touchdown to interception ratio.
Stroud was drafted at No. 2 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans, behind No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young, and ahead of the No. 4 overall pick, Anthony Richardson. Stroud looks to be the standout of those highly-drafted quarterbacks, after recording one of the best rookie QB seasons in NFL history. He threw for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns and a 96.0 True Passer Rating (No. 12) in his freshman season on an upstart Texans team led by DeMeco Ryans.
