Introduction
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.
Early years
Stroud was born on October 3, 2001, in Rancho Cucamonga, California, the youngest of four children. His father, Coleridge Bernard Stroud, III, received a 38-year sentence under California's three-strikes law and has been incarcerated since Stroud was in middle school. As of 2023, his father is serving his sentence in Folsom State Prison near Sacramento. 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. 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. Initially considered a 3-star recruit, Stroud finished high school as the third-highest rated quarterback of his class. He committed to Ohio State University to play college football.
College career
2020
Stroud spent his true freshman year at Ohio State redshirting as a backup to Justin Fields. He played just one total snap in 2020; he scored 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 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.
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. 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. He led the team to a 10–2 record in the regular season, with losses to Oregon and bitter rival Michigan. 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. He finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting.
2022
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. 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. 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. Despite the loss, the Buckeyes were selected as the fourth and final team for the College Football Playoff. 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. 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. On January 16, 2023, Stroud announced that he would forgo his remaining two years of college eligibility and enter the 2023 NFL Draft.
Statistics
| Season | Games | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 2020 | 3 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 48 | 48.0 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 12 | 12 | 10–2 | 317 | 441 | 71.9 | 4,435 | 10.1 | 44 | 6 | 186.6 | 32 | −20 | −0.6 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 13 | 13 | 11–2 | 258 | 389 | 66.3 | 3,688 | 9.5 | 41 | 6 | 176.2 | 35 | 74 | 2.1 | 0 | |
| Career | 28 | 25 | 21–4 | 575 | 830 | 69.3 | 8,123 | 9.8 | 85 | 12 | 187.2 | 68 | 102 | 1.5 | 1 | |
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand 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 | ||||||||||||
2023
Stroud was selected by the Houston Texans with the second overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on April 27, 2023.Being second overall, Stroud became the highest drafted quarterback in Ohio State's history.
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.
Personal life
Stroud is the son of Coleridge and Kimberly Stroud. He has two older brothers and one older sister. He is a Christian.