Scarlet Sunrise: Bryce Young discusses what he respects most about C.J. Stroud

Good morning, Ohio State fans, and welcome to the Scarlet Sunrise. Football will always be our focus, but every day we’ll cover news, notes and analysis from across Buckeyes sports. Join us each morning to get caught up on everything you missed in the world of Buckeyes football, recruiting, basketball and more in Scarlet Sunrise.

Bryce Young discusses what he respects most about C.J. Stroud

NFL Draft discourse has centered around former Alabama quarterback Bryce Young and former Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud for months. Of late, Stroud’s stock has been in question, largely because he reportedly struggled on the S2 Cognition test. But Young, who knew Stroud in Southern California before they were both household names, praised his fellow quarterback recently on The Pivot podcast.

“I was able to watch how C.J. was in the Elite 11. That’s a big moment,” Young told The Pivot. “Everyone’s trying to be the MVP, and then everyone’s trying to win the 7-on-7 tournament. … Seeing how he carried himself during that time. Seeing how every time there was a big moment, he stepped up. Every big occasion. Seeing that in high school, I had watched him play before, but seeing that in those high pressure situations, and seeing how he carried himself, that was something that really stood out to me.”

CJ Stroud poise & leadership @_bryce_young at the @Elite11. Young is was not surprised that @CJ7STROUD’s intangibles made him extremely successful at @OhioStateFB.
Looks like @Panthers & @HoustonTexans can draft their Franchise QB! @thepivot https://t.co/i9jFLnR9SO pic.twitter.com/yQlWvssWYR

— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) April 19, 2023

Initially, Stroud was dwarfed by not only Mater Dei’s Young but also St. John Bosco’s D.J. Uiagalelei in the California high school recruiting sphere. Young actually beat out Stroud for an Elite 11 invite at the Los Angeles regional camp. Stroud had to keep attending regional camps to earn an invite. Of course, as Young mentioned, Stroud starred once he was at the coveted quarterback competition.

“I’ve been around a bunch of people that played with him, and when you hear how they talk about him, I feel like that’s always a pretty good measurement of how people are when you have their teammates,” Young said of Stroud. “Hearing that, of course that’s all there, but I think we all kind of know that. I think we’ve all see that. But being able to see how he carries himself and how he works on a day-to-day and just seeing what goes into those kind of moments — that was something that was really big for me.”

Young continued: “So just on top of all the things that you see on film, and obviously he can make every single throw. Obviously processes super quick, great decision maker. See how he played against Georgia in the biggest moments, stuff like that. That goes without saying. Seeing that was something that I thought I got some insight on. I respect him as a person, first and foremost, but as a football player that was something that really, really garnered a lot of respect from me.”

Breaking down what makes Paris Johnson Jr. deserving of a top-15 pick

Former Ohio State offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. is considered a top-three prospect among a relatively thin tackle class. In the upper echelon, he’s joined by Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski and Georgia’s Broderick Jones. All three of them have drawbacks, Johnson’s being that he played only one season at left tackle with the Buckeyes, but they all could go in the first half of the opening round.

Johnson became the first Ohio State offensive tackle to be named a consensus first-team All-American since Orlando Pace got the unanimous tag in both 1995 and 1996. Even if Johnson’s not the first tackle off the board, he is capable of becoming the Buckeyes’ first offensive lineman to go top 15 in the draft since Pace went No. 1 overall to the then-St. Louis Rams in 1997.

To find out why, go here.

RELATED

• Why C.J. Stroud is smart choice for No. 1 overall pick
• Why Jaxon Smith-Njigba is WR1 in 2023 NFL Draft

Spring Superlatives: Picking best from Buckeyes defense in spring ball

The Buckeyes practiced 15 times across March and April, culminating in last week’s spring game. Now, Lettermen Row is breaking down spring ball from every angle, including with superlatives. We’re starting with the defensive side of the ball, where the pressure is on for Ohio State to take a critical step forward in the second year of DC Jim Knowles’ 4-2-5 system.

Who was the biggest defensive surprise this spring? How about the biggest mover? MVP? We answer each of those questions, and more, while evaluating the standouts from a unit that returns considerable talent but still has a lot to prove.

Check it out here.

Counting down

Buckeyes vs. Indiana: 133 days

Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 217 days

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