CJ Stroud talks growth as a leader, how last season serves as motivation for Ohio State

Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud learned a lot last season in his first year as a starter. As a redshirt freshman, he burst onto the scene by throwing for more than 4,000 yards and finishing fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting.

That will be hard to top this season, but the Buckeyes signal caller is hoping to carry the lessons with him to become a better player. Wednesday at Big Ten Media Days, the quarterback opened up on how he has grown as a leader and what he is doing to develop connections with his teammates.

“When you boil it down, being a leader is about trust,” Stroud said on Big Ten Network. “Build the trust off the field and on. That’s definitely something that we’ve been doing. I’ve been taking teammates at home and doing things with them just trying to build that bond. Even with the defensive side of the ball. I think when that fourth down comes or that third-and-short, we’ll all remember that moment where we all cared about each other and we just go out there and do it. I definitely think that will pay dividends this year.”

Last season marked the first time in four seasons that Ohio State did not make the Big Ten Championship Game and the first year since coach Ryan Day took over in 2019 that it failed to reach the College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes also suffered a loss to rival Michigan for the first time since 2011.

Ohio State still rallied to win the Rose Bowl, but as receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba said the team ended the year feeling as if it fell short. Stroud agreed, and said the Buckeyes have to do a better job of holding each other accountable this year.

“Just constantly reminding ourselves to hold each other accountable,” Stroud said. “I definitely think the leadership has gotten better this season. Not saying that it wasn’t there last year, but it’s been night and day. The team has gotten a lot closer. The brotherhood is definitely growing and will continue to grow. I just think that next year, we’ll show everybody what we’re really about.”

Thanks to the return of CJ Stroud and Smith-Njigba, the Ohio State offense looks to pick up where it left off after finishing No. 1 in the country this past season. The talent is clearly there, but Stroud knows it will take much more than that for the Buckeyes to achieve their goals.