Ohio State loses CJ Stroud after he declares for 2023 NFL Draft

Ohio State is losing one of its biggest star players after quarterback CJ Stroud declared for the 2023 NFL Draft on January 16th.

“First and foremost, I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for blessing me with health, favor and opportunity,” Stroud wrote in a post to fans on Twitter.

Stroud thanked his family for everything they had done to help him achieve success in his life before moving on to thank his team and fans at Ohio State. 

“To my teammates, coaches, strength staff, nutritionists, academic advisors, support team, and everyone that works at the WHAC, thank you,” Stroud wrote. 

“This process has been difficult, and the decision, one of the hardest I’ve ever had to make,” Stroud continued. 

“As a kid, I dreamed of playing football at the highest level and after much prayer,” Stroud added, “I’ve made the decision that it’s time to turn these dreams into a reality. With that said, I am declaring for the 2023 NFL Draft.”

Stroud joined the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2020 and served mostly as a backup to Justin Fields, playing in just one game but scoring a 48-yard rushing touchdown according to Buckeyes Wire. 

In 2021, Ohio State named Stroud as their starting quarterback and he led the Buckeyes to a 10-2 regular season record with losses to Oregon and Michigan.

By 2022, Stroud had made some serious waves in the college football world and was on the national radar as one of the top up-and-coming quarterbacks in the sport.

“Stroud is the leader of what should be a high-powered offense at Ohio State,” wrote ESPN in an August 2022 article on college football's top 100 players.

“He was a Heisman Trophy finalist last season,” the ESPN article continued, “and coach Ryan Day says he has seen growth and maturity from his quarterback.”

Stroud ranked fourth on ESPN’s top 100 players list and for good reason, at the time he was a one-time Heisman trophy finalist that had 4435 passing yards under his belt and 44 touchdowns. 

After his 2022 season with the Buckeyes, Stroud ended his college career with a 21-4 record, which includes a total of 8123 yards passing and 85 touchdowns with a 69.3 completion rate according to Sports Illustrated’s Mike McDaniel.

“Stroud projects as a consensus top-five player in the NFL draft,” according to ESPN’s Peter Thamel, based on data from the sports organization’s draft analysts.

Themal went on to note that Stroud would be a highly valued prize in the 2023 NFL Draft and that he would be competing with Alabama’s Bryce Young and Kentucky’s Will Levis to be this year's top quarterback pick in the draft. 

But by “going to the NFL and becoming a top-five pick,” wrote sports Thamel, Stroud id “essentially guaranteed $35 million in his first contract.” Not a bad payday for one of football's most talented college players.