C.J. Stroud improve from star-struck rookie to veteran pocket passer in the course of only a few months.
Stroud was only a redshirt freshman with zero college passes attempted when he went under center on September 2nd, 2021. He took his time getting his feet underneath him in that game, but still ended his debut with 294 yards.
With the strong start, there was still room for Stroud to improve. He got dinged up and posted some low numbers in the next few games. But things finally turned around, and he never looked back.
In the 2022 Rose Bowl, Stroud became the first Buckeye to pass for 500 yards in Ohio State’s epic come-from-behind win. As if it wasn’t impressive enough, he did it with his two best targets opting out to prepare for the NFL draft.
Stroud looked like a deer in headlights at the beginning of the season, but was a Heisman candidate by the end.
How much better can he be with yet another season of improvement.
Stroud is very nearly the perfect quarterback for Ryan Day. He has pocket presence, arm, touch, and accuracy. But there are a few places where Stroud can improve.
How C.J. Stroud Can Improve in 2022
A Full Offseason as QB1
In 2021, Stroud was locked in a quarterback competition with Kyle McCord and Jack Miller. The competition lasted two weeks before the season started.
That means for most of the Spring and Summer, Stroud was splitting reps with the 1’s.
This year, Stroud will get all of the reps with the first team leading up the Spring Game and into Fall Camp. This will be especially important now that Julian Fleming and Marvin Harrison Jr. are stepping into starting roles for the first time in their careers. Stroud will get time to create chemistry with them before the season starts.
He also will have time to practice with the offensive line, which will have at least two new faces in it.
For the first time in his career, Stroud will get a full offseason as the starting quarterback, which will be a huge boost to help him improve.
Calm Under Pressure
Stroud is a pocket passer disguised as a dual-threat quarterback. But by the end of 2021, many forgot that the only touch of his true freshman season was a 48-yard rushing touchdown.
Like many pocket passers in football, the way you beat them isn’t with coverage or with deception. It’s by getting him “off his spot.”
In other words, pocket passers are best in between the tackles, so to throw off their game the defense tries to make him bail out.
This is how Michigan was able to slow down Ohio State’s offense. Even then, Stroud threw for 394 yards in that game.
It’s easier said than done, but quarterbacks who can stand in the pocket and throw do extremely well. A good example of this is Joe Burrow, who did this all the way to the Super Bowl, and very nearly won it.
If Stroud can learn to stay in the pocket and make throws under pressure, then Ohio State’s offense will be unstoppable.
Using His Legs
Stroud famously said: “If my job was to run the ball, I’d be a running back or something.”
He did not like to run the ball. Justin Fields rushed nearly ten times per game in his Ohio State career. The Buckeyes’ quarterback rushing production dropped off when Stroud took over, as he ran the ball less than three times per game.
It’s not that Stroud isn’t athletic. Dwayne Haskins wasn’t a rushing quarterback, and he still ran the ball 79 times in 2018. He then went on to run a 5.04-second 40-yard dash at the combine.
Stroud has the athletic ability that Haskins lacked. Again, Stroud’s only play that made the box score in 2020 was a 48-yard rush.
This is certainly not a problem exclusive to Stroud. Bryce Young, the Heisman Trophy winner, rushed for zero yards, despite abounding in athletic talent.
Young quarterback just don’t like to run. Either they’re afraid of getting hurt, or they want to show that they don’t have to rely on their legs to make plays.
Stroud doesn’t need to turn into J.T. Barrett. He just needs to know when to keep looking downfield and when it’s okay to run.
Fields had a great feel for this. He ran when the opportunity was there, and still passed for over 5,000 yards and 60 touchdowns in 22 games as a Buckeye.
If Stroud can develop the feel for it too, then that will put defenses in quite a bind.
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