C.J. Stroud makes surprising admission around the rocky relationship he and Ohio State HC Ryan Day once had

C.J. Stroud was the last quarterback Ryan Day had who stayed more than one season as the starter. Since Stroud was drafted by the Houston Texans, it has been one-year stints with Kyle McCord, Will Howard, and now Julian Sayin, who has a chance to be the guy for at least two seasons. Stroud was elite in Columbus—plain and simple—but things weren’t always smooth between him and Day.

C.J. Stroud makes surprising admission about his relationship with Ryan Day

“Coach Day is the perfect example of the style that I wanted, and I didn’t want,” Stroud said of his preferred coaching style on Greg Olsen’s Youth Inc. podcast. “And he’ll tell you this too—we didn’t always have the best relationship.”

Stroud put together two terrific seasons for the Buckeyes after appearing in just two games as a freshman in 2020. He threw for a combined 85 touchdowns against just 12 interceptions, production that led to him being selected No. 2 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. He also finished in the top five of Heisman voting twice. Still, it wasn’t always sunshine and roses.

“We didn’t spend the time to know one another, so a lot of it was just miscommunication,” Stroud explained. “But one day, out of nowhere, [Day] called me into his office, and we just had a talk for, I would say, six or seven hours.”

That conversation changed everything for Day and Stroud. The two remain very close, and Stroud now considers Day family—the feeling is mutual. At the end of the day, Stroud was a California kid adjusting to Columbus, while Day is a New Hampshire native.

“I’m a starter at Ohio State. This is into the season and we were doing well. You’d think everything was fine, but deep down, we both had some things that we had to be men about and put on the table. After that, our relationship has been great. I consider him not only a great coach of mine but also a father figure, a friend, a brother, and someone I know I can call if I really need him—and he can do the same with me.”

Buckeye Nation never really saw the rocky relationship spill into the public eye. That speaks to the strong culture within the program and how quickly the two were able to resolve their issues. Stroud is now thriving with the Texans in the NFL, and Ohio State still proudly stands behind him.