CJ Stroud addresses relationship between Ohio State QBs, Ryan Day

With CJ Stroud entering his second season as the starting quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes, his relationship with the staff has only grown. The junior phenom has especially seen that growth with head coach Ryan Day. As a former starting quarterback at New Hampshire, Day is a coach Stroud says he has really connected with over his time in Columbus.

CJ Stroud talked about Day’s relationships with the QB room during media on Thursday. He says Day is completely flexible because he knows how quarterbacks think and he’s not too old to hear his players out.

“I feel like Coach Day isn’t an old head. He’s cool and he played the position so he understands what we see out there,” said Stroud. “If he doesn’t, he has no problem asking what we like or what we don’t like so he works hand in hand with us.”

Stroud flourished under Day during his first year starting for the Buckeyes. He threw for 4,435 yards and 44 touchdowns with just six interceptions. He also led the nation in QBR at 91.6. Although the 2021 Heisman finalist has earned his fair share of hype, Stroud said Day puts the attention on the entire room rather than him as an individual. Considering the spotlight on him in every other part of his life, Stroud is thankful for that dynamic with his head coach.

“Coach Day’s been in the room with all of us. He’s definitely pulled me to the side and we have our one on one meetings and what not. More so now he is in the room with all three of us,” Stroud said. “I feel like it’s kind of my job to make sure that everybody learns together. Coach Day has done a good job with that and not just making it seem like I’m the man. I don’t really like that feeling. I want everybody to do better.”

Day’s experience with elite QBs like CJ Stroud along with Dwayne Haskins and Justin Fields has made Ohio State an offensive juggernaut. The lessons Stroud says he’s learning from Day are invaluable for him as a player and a prospect moving forward. Stroud says he wants to continue to surprise his coach in a season where everyone already thinks they know what to expect from the Buckeye sensation.

“Coach Day’s really smart. It’s tough to kind of pick his brain in a sense. I feel like I do a good job in kind of testing him…He’s always been a strong-willed person. I feel like me and him have a lot of similarities when it comes to that. We’re both students of the game,” said Stroud. “(We) love watching film, looking at other defenses, new plays and just piggybacking off each other…I think I actually surprise him sometime being a little smarter than he may think. I definitely think that is a great relationship.”