It wasn’t much of a surprise when Ryan Day named CJ Stroud Ohio State’s starting quarterback for the season opener against Minnesota. He appeared to be the leader in the room since the spring game several months ago.

Ohio State now has its guy. The Buckeyes can now focus on game preparation with everyone knowing who will take the first snaps on Thursday, Sept. 2 in Minneapolis. During his press conference on Saturday, though, Day made it clear that the other quarterbacks behind Stroud need to continue to develop throughout the year.

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“The other guys in the room understand that this is a long season and that room has to be strong,” Day said. “We know at Ohio State it takes everybody in that room. So they need to continue to work. It’s a long way to January and that’s been the message. The focus has to be to continue the development but also to encourage the other guys in that room.”

Stroud was battling with Kyle McCord and Jack Miller III through spring ball and most of fall camp for the job. Recently, 5-star prospect Quinn Ewers reclassified to the 2021 class and arrived in Columbus, as well.

Day said that both McCord and Miller have shown improvement but that Stroud separated himself with his playmaking ability and leadership. But the head coach wants to see the other guys in the room continue to push the starter to improve.

Stroud will have quite a test in his opener, playing conference foe Minnesota in Week 1.