Ohio State’s 2020 recruiting class now has its second quarterback.
C.J. Stroud, a 4-star prospect rated as the second-best pro-style quarterback in the class of 2020 and No. 83 prospect overall, just committed to the Buckeyes.
Stroud is from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., and picked Ohio State over offers from programs such as Georgia, Oregon, and Michigan.
He joins Jack Miller, another 4-star prospect, to give the Buckeyes two of the top-15 pro-style quarterbacks in the 2020 class. Both players are expected to enroll at OSU in January and go through spring practice.
Adding a second passer to the class became a priority for Ryan Day and his staff after a flurry of departures left the quarterback room a little thin this summer.
Just since last December, Dwayne Haskins left for the NFL, Tate Martell and Matthew Baldwin transferred, and Dwan Mathis flipped his commitment to Georgia.
Even after bringing in transfer quarterbacks Justin Fields and Gunnar Hoak, the Buckeyes are playing this season with only three scholarship players at the position. Chris Chugunov will be out of eligibility after this year, leaving OSU with only two returning quarterbacks.
Adding Stroud to the 2020 class is Day’s way of trying to prevent that issue in the future.
Assuming things stay as they are right now, the Buckeyes would have four scholarship quarterbacks on the roster next season: Fields, Hoak, Miller, and Stroud.
Stroud stands 6-foot-2 and weighed in at 194 lbs at The Opening in May, up seven pounds from February.
His highlight reel (embedded below) showcases some elusiveness within the pocket to avoid the rush.
Stroud completed 180-for-300 passes for 2,343 yards, 19 touchdowns and just six interceptions as a junior in 2018.
He is already off to an even stronger start to his senior season, completing 67 percent of his passes for 3,878 yards, 47 touchdowns and nine picks.
He was timed at 4.85 seconds in the 40 at The Opening, and has more than enough mobility to present a threat on the ground.
Stroud has enough arm strength to throw downfield outside the numbers. He does a good job stepping up in the pocket on a number of throws to buy himself a little extra time to find receivers on deep balls. He also shows good touch on balls along the sideline, dropping several over defenders’ heads where only his receiver can get them.
Stroud will have a year to mostly sit and learn behind Fields in 2020, but should be ready to compete for the starting job in 2021 if Fields turns pro early.
You can watch Stroud’s junior season highlight reel below.
