Ryan Day reveals why CJ Stroud is becoming an elite quarterback

After winning the starting quarterback job last season, Ohio State’s CJ Stroud emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in college football and one of the top prospects for the next level. As he moves into his junior season, journey towards becoming elite continues.

During a press conference earlier this week, head coach Ryan Day spoke about CJ Stroud’s progression and how he continues to move toward becoming an elite quarterback.

“It’s like standing on 315 North sometimes, cars buzzing by you,” Day said, referring to Stroud’s performance at Student Appreciation Day. “When you do 7-on-7 or you’re throwing routes on air, that’s – when we do our Pro Day out here and the quarterback’s just throwing to one guy, ok it’s fine – but that’s not football. Seven-on-seven is not football. What you saw up close and personal is football.

“I think when people say, ‘does he have it?’ They usually talk about the quarterback position. That’s part of it, just understanding what’s going on, being able to stand in there with poise and process all that’s going on when you’ve got 21 other guys on the field at that time. And that’s part of playing the position, it’s hard to teach.”

Ryan Day praises CJ Stroud

As a 2022 Heisman hopeful coming off of a very strong season with Ohio State, CJ Stroud appears to have all the makings of an elite college and NFL quarterback. Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day says he has the components to be one of the “greats” even, as Stroud continues to combine his mental acuity with his physical skills.

“When you’re in meetings and we talk about things, you start to see it happening fast and quick at the same processing level as a coach would see it, that’s when you have something really special,” Day said. “That’s what separates the great ones in the NFL. When you look at the Brady’s, the Rodgers’, the Brees’, those guys, Russell Wilson, they’re like coaches. They see it like coaches because they study so much film. There’s not much difference there. When you have someone who can process at a really high level and also has the athleticism to be able to perform and make the throws.”

Stroud still has at least one more year left before he can declare for the draft, but he’s getting plenty of NFL exposure. He threw passes to his former teammates Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave in front of scouts at Ohio State Pro Day.

“It’s a good opportunity for CJ to go through it and just see what that’s like and feel it so when he’s there next time, he’ll be a maybe little more comfortable,” Day said of the Pro Day experience.