Can Ohio State football’s CJ Stroud build on his recruiting momentum?

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- As recently as last May, Ohio State football freshman CJ Stroud was ranked outside the top 500 in the 247 Sports national composite for the 2020 class.

As recently as last October he remained outside the top 100. Yet when the California quarterback arrived on campus last month with his fellow early enrollees, he was a five-star prospect ranked in the top 50.

Stroud went from relative unknown to NFL-bound blue chip in a matter of months. Buckeyes starting quarterback Justin Fields experienced a similar rise from off-the-radar to top of the rankings, but it came earlier in his career.

Could Stroud’s recent surge give him some extra momentum as he begins his Ohio State career, especially in terms of the confidence needed from a starting quarterback? Stroud and fellow freshman Jack Miller will battle for the backup job behind Fields this fall, with hopes of taking over next fall.

Has Jack Miller been overlooked in Ohio State’s 2020 signing class?

Watch our discussion on the video above, and subscribe to Ohio State football on Cleveland.com on YouTube for analysis throughout the offseason.


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