Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud finishes third in Heisman Trophy voting
COLUMBUS — Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud was good enough to earn his second straight trip to New York City for the Heisman Trophy ceremony.
The preseason favorite to win the award just didn’t receive the votes to win it. Stroud finished third in Heisman voting, trailing USC quarterback Caleb Williams, who won the award Saturday night, and TCU quarterback Max Duggan.
A year after finishing fourth in the race for the Heisman Trophy, Stroud finished third in New York. He is the fifth top-four finisher from Ohio State since 2018, joining quarterbacks Justin Fields and the late Dwayne Haskins, as well as defensive end Chase Young, and of course, Stroud last season.
Stroud entered the year as the favorite to win the most prestigious individual award in the sport, and he nearly went wire-to-wire to win it. He finished the season completing 66 percent of his passes for 3,340 yards and 37 touchdowns to just six interceptions.
The problem? Stroud finished the year with a loss to Michigan, which kept him out of the Big Ten title game in what could have proven to be the finishing touches on a Heisman Trophy campaign. Without the 13th game to put up stats and remain in the front of voter’s minds, Stroud slipped down the pecking order of Heisman Trophy hopefuls.
The loss to Michigan had many wondering what Stroud’s Ohio State legacy is, given that he’s a two-time Heisman finalist but went 0-2 against Michigan as a starter — so far.
“Honestly, I don’t know,” Stroud said, when asked what he wants his legacy to be at Ohio State. “People are going to say I never won The Game, and I understand. People are going to say I never won a Big Ten Championship, and I understand. So, I mean, when it comes to that, I just have to eat it, man. It’s life. Nothing’s ever been easy for me. I don’t expect it to get easy.”
Nothing did come easy for Stroud, who was an under-the-radar recruit until he won the Elite 11 Finals ahead of the 2020 recruiting class and rose to five-star fame. He certainly isn’t under the radar now, and there’s a huge part of his legacy now complete: a two-time Heisman Trophy finalist.
He was good enough to be considered one of the top four players in the sport in back-to-back seasons. He just didn’t do enough to win it.
