WATCH: Houston Texans Rookie C.J. Stroud is ESPN College GameDay Guest Picker
With a little extra free time in his schedule on the Houston Texans' bye week, rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud made sure to make his rounds Saturday morning.
The former Ohio State star made his way back to Columbus for the Buckeyes' undefeated bout against Penn State, but more than just being present for the Ohio Stadium atmosphere he was all-too familiar with for three seasons, there was added excitement for this Saturday in particular.
He was going to be on College GameDay.
"What's up, it's your boy C.J.," Stroud said in a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. "I'm out here with GameDay. Excited to be on set. Go Bucks!"
Stroud was selected to be the guest picker on ESPN's famous traveling panel for Week 7, joining Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit to predict each major NCAA game across the country.
And his pick for the Buckeyes' match against the Nittany Lions?
"I'm going with the Buckeyes," Stroud said. "This game always comes down to third down and red zone. I think coach Day has done a great job ... they have a lot of good pieces on offense. ... I think we'll come out with this thing a little early."
Former Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback CJ Stroud, now with the Houston Texans
© Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
In his final season with Ohio State, Stroud threw for 3,688 yards and 41 touchdowns on just six interceptions. His play was a big reason for the Buckeyes' success, despite the last-second field goal that ended their season just shy of a National Championship berth.
With the Texans, Stroud has quickly found his groove, having thrown for 1,660 yards and nine touchdowns on just one interception. He's played well for the newly-coached Texans, who have put the NFL world on notice in DeMeco Ryans' first season.
The Texans are off this week, but they haven't stopped preparing for their continued search of an AFC South title. Ryans may not be concerned with standings as they are, but he is concerned with his team's improvement. And so is Stroud.
Houston will hit the road in Week 8 to face Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers in Stroud's first look at the one rookie picked before him in the NFL Draft.
