Why C.J. Stroud plays like he has a point to prove

C.J. Stroud is in the shadows no longer, the days when his effort and energy went not unrewarded – but certainly unnoticed – are far behind him now. Those times, current logic and trajectory suggests, are gone forever.

Stroud, the Ohio State quarterback, wears many hats but fits precisely zero stereotypes of what you might expect from arguably the best player in all of college football.

He is the Heisman Trophy frontrunner (+100 with FOXBet), the figurative and emotional leader of the No. 2-ranked Buckeyes (7-0), a popular expert prediction for the top spot in the 2023 NFL Draft, and a player who just plays a certain way that indicates we’ll still be watching him on Sundays in a decade.

Yet Stroud has little conventionality to his tale of emergence. Hailing from Rancho Cucamonga HS in Southern California’s Inland Empire, he wasn’t among the monumental number of quarterbacks who one-sport specialized from darn near infancy and had their game sculpted for years by a dedicated personal throwing guru.

The 21-year-old redshirt sophomore played varsity basketball for two years and learned the quarterback position mostly by doing it – and by wanting to learn - persevering amid little early attention from major programs and helping Rancho recover from an 0-4 start in his injury hit junior season to win seven straight.

"He’s just a true football guy," Mark Verti, Stroud’s head coach during his years at Rancho, told me in a telephone conversation on Tuesday. "That’s what moves him. The mental part of it, the puzzle, all the different possibilities in front of you, trying to understand as best you can.

"He’s a good human being who cares about people. He wanted the best for his teammates and himself. He wants to know how his teammates are doing, but he also wants to know why someone would be late to practice. Why would you do that to yourself? Why would you not watch film? Why would you not want to be your best self? Because that’s what he does."

While Bryce Young and DJ Uiagalelei were catching all the buzz at SoCal powerhouses Mater Dei and St. John Bosco, Stroud had to fight for even a sliver of recognition at first. When matched alongside Young at camps such as The Opening in Texas and the Elite 11 regional, he was the one prompting the queries of "who’s that guy" from those in attendance, before later landing an Ohio State offer.

In college, he’s been unstoppable. Stroud was a Heisman contender last season and this year’s stats – 28 touchdowns to only four interceptions, 2,023 yards thrown at a 70 percent completion rate - put him at the front of the current race ahead of Saturday’s visit to No. 13 Penn State (noon ET on FOX and FOX Sports App).

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He’s gotten some NIL money and a Bentley and there’s little standing in his way of a bountiful NFL contract within, oh, six months. Yet he still plays and acts like he has a point to prove, albeit with a game that flows and breathes and somehow also fits snugly to head coach Ryan Day’s system.

"Being robotic is not good in anything in life, QB, golf, anything," added Verti, who visited Stroud at Ohio State in the spring, where they spent time watching film, just for kicks. "He moves around naturally and I think his path helped him in that. He has a nice quick release, and basketball experience helps him see and read things in a certain way. That vision is priceless."

This past week, Day revealed how his recruiting efforts for Stroud landed him in trouble, as he was fined for skipping a mandatory awards show to go speak to the QB. Worth it? Yeah, thought so.

The bar Stroud has set for himself could now scarcely be higher. Last week, he and the Buckeyes faced a tricky item on the schedule, Iowa, against whose historically stout defense few quarterbacks look good. The outcome? Just a mere 54-10 rout.

The Heisman field is narrowing, with Stroud atop and Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker creating separation from the chasing pack.

"Two things make a Heisman winner," FOX college football analyst Joel Klatt said. "Great play, and big stages. Stroud does everything with exquisite timing and accuracy. This is so good."

Penn State is the latest challenge, the Nittany Lions’ record blemished only by a loss to Michigan. In truth, Ohio State could probably survive a defeat in State College and still reach the College Football Playoff if they subsequently ran the table.

Stroud has little wish to entertain that notion, or to see his momentum stall. He’s come too far, and has lingering aspirations too lofty, for that.

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Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports and the author of the FOX Sports Insider newsletter. Follow him on Twitter @MRogersFOX and subscribe to the daily newsletter.`