Humbled And Hopeful, Buckeyes QB C.J. Stroud Now Becomes Face Of Houston Texans
HOUSTON -- Nothing in life ever has come easy for Coleridge Bernard Stroud IV.
He lived inside a two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment above a storage facility in Upland, Calif. after a tragedy that shook the family to its core. He wasn't named the starting quarterback at Rancho Cucamonga High School until the start of his junior season.
Most quarterbacks his age were signing on the dotted lines to become the face of college programs. Stroud was hoping to put enough tape on the line to land even his first offer.
He waited.
He watched.
He hoped.
He prayed.
And he did it twice before turning 22. One month after showing off his pristine perfect passing in front of scouts in the home built by Peyton Manning, speculation began that perhaps one of the "safest" prospects in the recent draft memory was far from safe from being one of the top players to hear his name called.
But being counted out isn't anything new for the kid who now goes by "C.J." And life is too short to worry about what's out of his control.
Short — like his wait on a Thursday night in a green room in Kansas City to become the face of a franchise and the hero a city deserves.
The Houston Texans made it clear from the jump that Stroud was their man. One could say that in the end, the choice was easy.
"I had a feeling this morning when I woke up I was going to the Texans," a beaming Stroud said when meeting with Houston reporters for the first time since being selected with the No. 2 pick. "I'm really blessed to have it come true."
The Texans now hope they have found their hopeful long-term franchise quarterback. Deshaun Watson was supposed to be the King of NRG Drive, but a sour relationship ended his reign with the Bulls on Parade.
This is now Stroud's team. It's Stroud's kingdom. He knows he'll have to earn more than just the respect of veterans in the locker room, but also the starting job come Week 1 when the newly-found Texans take the field in hopes of having better results in 2023.
Nothing is promised, including a productive career with the AFC South franchise that's won a combined seven games since Watson demanded his release from the bonds of ownership. Stroud also isn't looking to become the savior overnight.
It'll take time, and patience entering a new era under DeMeco Ryans, a former knight who did battle on the same field Stroud will now call home.
"I felt a great vibe when I got to visit the program," Stroud said. "I had a great relationship with the coaches already when I got to meet with them."
Stroud, the highest-drafted quarterback from Ohio State since Art Schlichter went to the Baltimore Colts in 1982, has the tools to be one of one. The footwork is fine. So is the arm strength. Accuracy was one of his best assets during his two years as the Buckeyes' starter, and it led to domination on the field come Saturday afternoons in Columbus.
Production-wise, few can hold a candle to Stroud, a two-time Heisman finalist that set the Big Ten ablaze. He threw 8,123 yards and 83 touchdowns against 12 interceptions and finished with a 69.3 completion percentage. He also led college football with a 177.9 passer rating and finished 21-4 as a starter.
Yet Stroud knows he's far from a finished product. The version that took the field at Ohio Stadium is only a taste of what he can be, not the end result.
"I'm not going to be perfect," said Stroud. "I'm not always going to do the right thing on the field, but I'm just going to make sure I work my tail off to the right thing. You got my word on that for sure."
With the Texans, Stroud will be the missing link but also a sponge, soaking in as much information possible. He'll be picking the brain of new offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, a disciple of the Kyle Shanahan coaching tree.
He'll arrive in Houston and begin to work, hoping to get reps in with the current receivers and tight ends already in the building — not to mention the ones that could be headed to the stadium on either Friday or Saturday.
Stroud is high on the organization's future, believing the team is special and needs only a few more pieces to be great. Houston already took a step in the right direction when it traded up from No. 12 to No. 3 with the Arizona Cardinals to select Alabama pass rusher Will Anderson Jr.
There's pressure on a first-round quarterback to be the face of a franchise. The leader in the locker room. The player to bring a team from the cellar of the conference to the forefront of contention status.
That's the thing; Stroud says he doesn't believe in the pressure. He follows the notion of work ethic and development as the solution to success. Outside noise will always be part of the conversation but won't define how a future unfolds.
A paper-bound test or doubters won't dictate Stroud's story on Sundays. Even then, he's been down and out of the count before.
What's one more time proving the critics wrong?
"I'm battle-tested," said Stroud. "God has put a lot on my life. Before you get to a moment like this, you have to be humbled. I've been through a lot of humility, and that's something that's going to keep me grounded."
"God doesn't make mistakes. This was meant to be."
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