The Ohio State Buckeyes held a quarterback competition this spring, and although C.J. Stroud seemed to win convincingly, fans are growing impatient with the redshirt freshman just three games into the 2021 season.
Stroud threw for a whopping 484 yards in Week 2’s loss to Oregon, and you’d think that would put to rest any concerns that he wasn’t the man under center in Columbus. Well, on Saturday against Tulsa, Stroud definitely struggled, and the Buckeyes led the Golden Hurricane hang way too close for much of a 41-20 win.
Completing just 15 of 25 passes for 185 yards, one touchdown and one interception isn’t a great look. It could be a case of teams starting to figure out Stroud already, and while Ohio State could always stand to be more creative in its rather vanilla play-calling, it ultimately falls on the QB to execute.
With future NFL receivers Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson at his disposal, not to mention a loaded backfield, Stroud should be putting up big numbers on a regular basis.
That stat line from Stroud is even worse when you consider TreVeyon Henderson gave the Buckeyes 277 yards rushing and three TDs on 24 carries. No QB should fail with that kind of rushing attack to complement him. Alas, Stroud was not impressive at all.
So now, it’s time to consider alternatives, apparently. At least, that’s what Ohio State fans are considering because of Stroud’s inconsistency.
True freshman Kyle McCord seems to be the most popular QB Buckeye Nation wants to see, but Jack Miller is still in the mix, as is reclassified would’ve-been 2022 No. 1 overall recruit Quinn Ewers. Although he just arrived on campus a matter of weeks ago, it’s possible Ewers’ talent is too good to keep on the sidelines.
C.J. Stroud may lose starting QB job if Ohio State fans have their way
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