C.J. Stroud named to Davey O'Brien Award watch list
COLUMBUS — C.J. Stroud is locked in on living up the the mountains of offseason hype he is gaining.
Folks around the country know just how good he can be this year for Ohio State.
Stroud added to his growing list of watch-list inclusions Tuesday; the Buckeyes second-year starting quarterback was among 35 quarterbacks named to the Davey O’Brien Award watch list, and he is among the preseason favorites to win the award.
Stroud was a finalist for the Davey O’Brien Award last season. Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett and Alabama’s Bryce Young were also finalists, and Young won the award. He also beat Stroud for the Heisman Trophy.
But Stroud has gotten significantly better this offseason for Ohio State, on and off the field.
“I just want to make sure he sees it from all of us, not just the three step drop, not just football, but from all views,” Buckeyes head strength coach Mickey Marotti said about C.J. Stroud becoming a leader in all aspects. “Because part of being a leader is everybody’s watching you. Everybody’s listening to you, everybody’s feeling you. And if you don’t have those three characteristics of being seen, being heard and being felt, then you’re really not a leader.
“… If you’re not heard, if you’re not felt by the guys next to you, and obviously, if you’re not seen, then you’re not a leader. So if you don’t have those three characteristics, you’re not elite and you have no chance to be an elite. So every day, we just want to make sure that he’s felt, he’s heard and he’s seen in all those aspects.”
The folks at the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Foundation agree that Stroud has taken a step forward this offseason, naming him a preseason favorite to win the prestigious award.
Trio of Ohio State stars make Maxwell Award watch list
Quarterback C.J. Stroud, top wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and running back TreVeyon Henderson are all being listed on preseason watch lists and All-American teams, and Monday was a big one. All three were named to the preseason watch list for the Maxwell Award, which is given annually to the top player in all of college football.
Stroud missed out on being a finalist for the award a season ago, although he was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. Smith-Njigba wasn’t considered for the award, but that changes this offseason after a 1,606-yard year last fall for the Buckeyes. Henderson enters Year Two as the Buckeyes starting running back.
