COLUMBUS, Ohio — The question of who will start at quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes in the season opener has been answered after head coach Ryan Day held a press conference Saturday, summarizing the team's progress through fall camp.
During the press conference, C.J. Stroud was announced as the starter for the opening game against Minnesota.
"He will work hard over the weekend and into next week, starting to prepare for Minnesota," Day said. "I thought the body of work between the spring and then also through preseason, separated himself with his decision making, his leadership skills, his accuracy."
Stroud, the 6'3", 218 pound quarterback from Cucamonga, California, was the backup to Justin Fields last fall and in the Spring Game in April completed 16-of-22 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns.
From that game and through fall camp, Stroud set himself apart from the competition, getting the starting bid over second-year Jack Miller and true freshmen Kyle McCord and Quinn Ewers.
"The other guys in the room understand that this is a long season and that room has to be strong. We know at Ohio State that it takes everybody in that room, so that room needs to continue to work," Day said. "It's a long way to January and that's been the message and the focus has to continue to be about development but also to encourage the other guys in that room."
Day said Stroud was "excited and fired up" about the news but sees being named a starter as an "opportunity" rather than an "accomplishment."
Day also announced six captains of the team this season—three on offense and three on defense.
Wide receivers Kamryn Babb and Chris Olave, as well as offensive tackle Thayer Munford will serve as captains on offense for the 2021 season while defensive tackle Haskell Garrett, defensive end Zach Harrison and linebacker Teradja Mitchell will serve as the defensive captains.
The Buckeyes open the season on Sept. 2, taking on the Minnesota Golden Gophers in Minneapolis. Kickoff is at 8 p.m.
Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.
You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.
