Ohio State coach Ryan Day provides update on quarterback CJ Stroud

After CJ Stroud sat out of Week 4 against Akron, Ohio State coach Ryan Day gave an update on the starting quarterback. Day expects Stroud to return to action after Kyle McCord took his place against the Zips.

“I thought C.J.’s had a good week of work, so looking forward to getting him back on the field this week,” Day said. “I think it allowed him an opportunity to heal up and rest up his shoulder, but also a little bit of a different perspective. When you watch practice, when you watch the game from the sideline, you just see things from that lens, it helps, so I’m hoping that pays off here.”

The Buckeyes are set to face Rutgers at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday on the road.

Stroud rested against Akron as he recovered from a shoulder injury. He was still available for an emergency, but Ohio State never found itself in that situation during a 59-7 victory.

The redshirt freshman won the starting job this offseason following the departure of Justin Fields. A highly rated recruit in the class of 2020, Stroud has thrown for 983 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions in three games.

McCord, a true freshman, is the No. 19 overall player in On3’s class of 2021 rankings. He looked great against Akron, going 13-of-18 for 319 yards and two touchdowns. The margin of victory was the largest of the season for the Buckeyes.

Ohio State suffered a loss to Oregon in Week 2, putting a damper on its College Football Playoff hopes. The Buckeyes can still get there with a strong showing in the Big Ten and a conference championship. That starts this week with Rutgers, but there plenty of tough games ahead as well.

An Oct. 30 game against Penn State could ultimately decide which team wins the Big Ten East. If Ryan Day is right about CJ Stroud taking in new lessons from the sidelines, it will be a big boost in helping them get there.

The Buckeyes have arguably the most talented receiver tandem in college football with Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson.