Garrett Wilson props up C.J. Stroud, Ohio State after College Football Playoff game vs. Georgia
Garrett Wilson was pretty familiar with C.J. Stroud and his alma mater Ohio State.
After the Buckeyes nearly knocked off the champion Georgia Bulldogs, many came away impressed with the quarterback ahead of the NFL Draft. Stroud capped off his final season on campus with another Heisman Finalist campaign, something Wilson saw first hand.
While it’s not likely the two will reunite in New York at this time, Wilson propped up his former school and Stroud after the epic game against the Bulldogs.
“Tough loss, like you said,” Wilson said to Chris Russo on Mad Dog Radio. “I’m happy they went out there and showed up. I was worried that, you know, a lot of people were talking and they don’t they didn’t think they would stack up with Georgia that well. I was just happy they went out there and played well. Especially after that loss against Michigan and how they looked in that game and Michigan losing to TCU. People like to stack stuff up and see how it compares.
“So it was good to go out there and play (well) against a Georgia team that people deem unbeatable. C.J. made himself some money you know, as far as the draft goes. He looked great out there. So, you know, I think that they’re gonna start winning those games soon. I’m confident in that.”
The Ohio State quarterback finished his final season with the Buckeyes with 3,688 yards, 41 touchdowns, six interceptions and a 66.2% completion percentage. In total, Stroud finished with 8,123 yards, 85 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a 69.3% completion percentage in two years as a starter.
Stroud caught the attention of not just Wilson, but of ESPN’s Mel Kiper. He placed him at the top of his quarterback list in his Mock Draft 1.0.
That was over Alabama’s Bryce Young and Kentucky’s Will Levis.
“Wanted to change it up a bit,” Kiper said. “You talk to 12 teams, you get maybe a ton of different opinions. You know, you can’t get a consensus Greeny. And I think when you look at it, who was the most consistent over the last two years? Granted, he had a lot of help around him. It was pitch and catch in a lot of games, but it wasn’t it wasn’t pitch and catch in the Georgia game as you mentioned Greeny. He showed with his legs what he could do and could see the field when he was flushed out of the pocket and his consistency from game to game.
“That Northwestern game, the wind, the rain, throw that out. But I think the fact of the matter is his size, the way he throws accurately to all levels. That Georgia game in particular stood out. The way he could move around and beat the defense with his legs when he needed to. C.J. Stroud could end up being the first quarterback off the board and certainly in Mock 1.0. I wanted to shake it up a bit. If you got three that are equal and all these opinions, I put Stroud as the top quarterback coming off the board.”