C. J. Stroud

Coleridge Bernard "C. J." Stroud IV (born October 3, 2001) is an American football quarterback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ohio State, where he holds many school records, including most passing yards in a single game with 573 as well as being the first player to throw for six touchdowns three times. Stroud was a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2021 and 2022 and was selected by the Texans second overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. Early years Stroud was born on October 3, 2001, in Rancho Cucamonga, California, the youngest of four children. His father, Coleridge Bernard Stroud, III, received a 38-year sentence under California's three-strikes law and has been incarcerated since Stroud was in middle school. As of 2023, his father is serving his sentence in Folsom State Prison near Sacramento. The incarceration sent the Stroud family into severe financial debt; they lived in a small apartment above a storage facility as Stroud entered Rancho Cucamonga High School. As a senior, he was the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin offensive player of the year after passing for 3,878 yards and 47 touchdowns. In 2019, he was the MVP of the Elite 11. Stroud was selected to play in the 2020 All-American Bowl. Initially considered a 3-star recruit, Stroud finished high school as the third-highest rated quarterback of his class. He committed to Ohio State University to play college football. Stroud has been friends with Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young since the two went to rival high schools in Southern California. The two continued their friendship in college, and ultimately were selected with the first two picks in the 2023 NFL Draft. College career