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CJ Stroud recalls ‘tough’ career at Ohio State, how it prepared him for the NFL

Ethan Stone

By Ethan Stone

Published:

CJ Stroud has been the best rookie quarterback out of the 2023 draft cycle by a significant margin.

The former Ohio State quarterback is excellent on 3rd down, looks poised and collected in the pocket and is doing so without an elite offensive line, a first-year head coach and an average receiving corps.

In short, he’s been really, really impressive.

On Thursday, Stroud joined the Pat McAfee Show to discuss his past at Ohio State and how the tough times there during the early stretches of his career molded what he can be at the professional level.

Even when he arrived in the NFL there were plenty of doubters, simply based on his situation, his abilities and the recent history of Ohio State QBs struggling in the league.

Here’s what he had to say when asked how those tough times have molded him and made him who he is today.

“Those first couple games of my career (at OSU) were really hard on me,” Stroud said. “I went through a lot, got a lot of harsh comments, death threats. At the time I didn’t know what I was going through, but God was putting me through a process where He was trying to put that callus on me, make sure I was tough enough to be ready, prepare me… I would never go back and change anything.”

He finished by saying “That time (at Ohio State) definitely prepared me for where I’m at now.”

Here’s more from Stroud’s chat with McAfee and Co.

Stroud has led the Texans to a 2-2 record out of the gate, a major accomplishment for a team that won only 3 games all last season.

He’ll have an opportunity to match that total in Week 5 this Sunday as the Texans take on the Atlanta Falcons.

Ethan Stone

Ethan Stone was an editor for his student newspaper at the University of Tennessee and is now a News Manager for Saturday Tradition.