Ryan Day reacts to CJ Stroud's strong performance in NFL

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day was thrilled by CJ Stroud’s instant success in the NFL with the Houston Texans.

The rookie quarterback and former Ohio State star is the easy front runner for Offensive Rookie of the Year and could be in the MVP conversation, at least according to some talking heads. That’s the difference he’s made for the Texans, who are now 4-4 in a rebuilding year. That means maybe playoffs.

Day wasn’t surprised in the least in Stroud’s success.

“I think he deserves all the success that he’s receiving,” Day said. “This is somebody who went through kind of a tough time during the draft process, you know, and really a lot of people kind of questioned him in certain ways and you never saw him react anyway. I thought he’s handled himself like a pro. The guys on that team, think they voted him captain right? I mean, he’s a captain there for a rookie right out of the gate is tremendous. 

“(He) walked in and endeared himself to that organization. And now you’re starting to see him perform on the field and he’s given that organization hope and you’re seeing it. 

This season, Stroud has 2,270 yards, 14 touchdowns, one interception and a 62% completion percentage. He threw five touchdowns Sunday in a shootout win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“And I think it’s the same thing Garrett Wilson did with the New York Jets last year,” Day said. “Tt gave them hope. You know, I think our guys understand what the expectation is that you’re there to win every game. And, and so it was great to see him quickly jump into that role and have the success he’s had and still a lot of football ahead of him.”

Coming up, Houston heads to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals Sunday and perhaps a chance at Stroud to help his squad pull off the upset.

It shouldn’t be a surprise considering his college success. Stroud had two prolific years with the Buckeyes under Day.

Stroud finished his college career with 8,123 yards, 85 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a 69.3% completion percentage.

As a member of the Class of 2020, Stroud was a four-star recruit out of Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) High, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 4 overall prospect in the state, the No. 3 quarterback in the class and the No. 39 overall prospect in the class.