Ryan Day provides injury update on quarterback CJ Stroud

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day offered an update on quarterback CJ Stroud, who sat out the Buckeyes’ win over Akron as he recovers from a shoulder injury that plagued him through the first three weeks of the season.

“We’ll see how today goes,” Day told media on Tuesday. “I thought the week (off) helped him and it sounds like it’s going in the right direction so we’re hoping for a great day at practice today.”

Day added that if fully healthy, Stroud will be the starter on Saturday against Rutgers.

Stroud was named the starter near the end of fall camp and has had an up-and-down performance to start the season.

In three games, Stroud has thrown for 963 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions, completing over 62% of his passes. Ohio State is 3-1 to start the season, with the sole loss coming to Oregon in week two.

With Stroud out against Akron, freshman Kyle McCord got the start, while second-year freshman Jack Miller saw playing time as well. In the win, McCord threw for 319 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, completing 13 of 18 passes. Miller completed five of eight passes for 66.

With Stroud, McCord, Miller and the former five-star Quinn Ewers in the quarterback room, even though Stroud remains the starter, Day stated evaluations will continue in practice through the season.

“Do it like you do every other position,” he said. “Try and project the best you can based on what you see in practice and then what you’re going to see in a game. And then you do whatever you think is best to go win the game that week. So that’s what we’re doing. You look every day at practice and hopefully there’s growth along the way. We’ve got three young guys that are doing this for the first time. While that can be a challenge, it’s also good because everything you’re investing you’re hoping to get back in the future.”

Ewers was the top recruit in the 2022 class before opting to skip his senior year of high school and enroll early at Ohio State. The move left Ohio State with four freshman quarterbacks as Stroud and Miller are second-year freshmen, while McCord and Ewers are in their first year.

Ohio State’s relatively slow start to the season has put Stroud’s performance under the spotlight, and if healthy, all eyes will be on the second-year freshman against Rutgers.