CJ Stroud representing Ohio State football on Heisman Trophy stage
NEW YORK — C.J. Stroud had some jitters when he attended the Heisman Trophy ceremony as a finalist for the first time last December.
“I was all nervous,” he said. “I didn’t know how it was going to go.”
His return trip for the festivities has left him at greater ease.
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“This year, I’m more relaxed and just being myself,” Stroud said. “I know where stuff is. It’s kind of weird, but it’s kind of cool. I’m just blessed to be here again and represent my school.”
It’s rare for a player from Ohio State to make multiple trips to Manhattan in the second weekend in December. Stroud is the Buckeyes’ first two-time finalist for the most prestigious award in college football since the Heisman Trust began inviting multiple finalists in 1982.
In previous decades, only the winners participated in the ceremony, including Archie Griffin when he won in consecutive seasons in 1974 and 1975.
For this time around, Stroud joins three fellow quarterbacks — Georgia’s Stetson Bennett, Texas Christian’s Max Duggan and Southern California’s Caleb Williams — in attendance.
Williams, a dynamic passer and runner who led USC to the precipice of a playoff berth following its worst season in three decades last fall, is expected to lift the trophy on Saturday night and leave Stroud among the runners-up.
But Stroud’s place in the race will be a notable feat and a tribute to his consistency. He has again been among the nation’s most prolific passers, finishing atop the Football Bowl Subdivision in passing efficiency with a 176.25 rating during the regular season.
This year’s path for Stroud to reach the Heisman stage involved greater scrutiny and heightened pressure as he began as the preseason favorite to capture the award and remained at the front of the field until a crushing loss to archrival Michigan late last month that put a dent in his candidacy and kept the Buckeyes out of the Big Ten championship game.
“It’s something I definitely knew was going to come with the territory of me playing well last season and being a finalist,” he said. “People would want me to repeat and do it again.”
For that reason, Stroud views his repeat trip as an even tougher journey. His immediate success last fall, breaking out in his starting debut as a redshirt freshman, was unexpected to voters and the country at large.
“The first time, I wasn’t really focused on it,” Stroud said. “I just wanted to play, see how I would do. This year, I didn’t focus on it neither, but you get more talk, people know about you. Last year, I was more of a surprise to many, how good I was playing. This year, people knew what was up, and defenses knew what was up.”
As Stroud lands in the top four of the final voting for the Heisman, he follows Griffin and Howard “Hopalong” Cassady as the only Buckeyes to finish this high on multiple occasions.
In addition to Griffin’s back-to-back wins, Cassady finished in third place in 1954 before winning the following year.
“It’s amazing,” Stroud said. “I’m definitely blessed. I put in the work to be in this moment, but at the same time, I’ve had teammates that have been right there with me. I wouldn’t be here without any of my teammates, my linemen, my receivers, my defense, my running backs, my tight ends, everybody.”
The experience in the city this weekend will be a little different for Stroud.
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When Stroud was recognized in New York a year ago, he joined a childhood friend on the stage at Jazz at Lincoln Center. He and Bryce Young, the dual-threat Alabama quarterback who captured the Heisman, had grown up together in Southern California.
Among this year’s other finalists, Stroud had met only Williams before Friday. The two were at a quarterback retreat in Los Angeles in May and served as counselors at the Elite 11 recruiting camp later in the summer.
“He’s a great dude,” Stroud said. “You can tell he’s really down to earth. He’s humble. He loves football.”
Stroud said he’s enjoyed watching Williams from afar over the course of the season, with the Trojans playing frequent late-night games on the West Coast, and holds an appreciation of his level of performance.
“Caleb is off the charts,” Stroud said. “He makes plays and makes it happen.”
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Contact him at [email protected] or on Twitter @joeyrkaufman.
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