December 6, 2021

Is the fourth Buckeye in the last four seasons to be a finalist for college football’s most prestigious award

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Riding a right arm that is etching his name throughout the Ohio State University football records book, redshirt freshman quarterback C.J. Stroud is headed to New York City as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.

Stroud will join Alabama’s Bryce Young, Michigan’s Aiden Hutchinson and Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett at the Heisman Trophy ceremony Saturday evening at the PlayStation Theater in Times Square, N.Y.

Stroud’s road to New York City was highlighted by four games of 400-or-more passing yards, including a performance in the Buckeyes’ home finale against No. 7 Michigan State in which he passed for 432 yards and a school-record tying six touchdown passes. Last week, Stroud swept three major Big Ten Conference awards: the Graham-George Offensive Player of the Year, the Thompson-Randle El Freshman of the Year and the Griese-Brees Quarterback of the Year. It’s the first time in Big Ten history one player has won all three awards.

Stroud, a Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. native who hadn’t thrown a collegiate pass before this season, has led arguably the best offense in the nation with Ohio State No. 1 nationally in total offense (551.4 yards per game) and scoring offense (45.5 ppg), and No. 5 in passing offense (364.9 ypg).

Individually, Stroud currently has the best Ohio State single season marks for passing efficiency (182.2), completion pct. (70.9) and passing yards per game (351.1). His 3,862 passing yards ranks second in school history and his 38 touchdown passes rank third.

Stroud is the eighth Heisman Trophy finalist from Ohio State since 1982 and fourth in the last four years. The others were Keith Byers (1984), Eddie George (1995), Orlando Pace (1996), Troy Smith (2006), Dwayne Haskins (2018), Justin Fields (2019) and Chase Young (2019). Prior to 1982, only the Heisman Trophy winner was invited to New York City for the awards ceremony.

This year’s Heisman Trophy presentation will be aired on ESPN at 8 p.m. on Dec. 11.

Ohio State’s Heisman Trophy Winners and Finalists

2021 – C.J. Stroud

2019 – Justin Fields and Chase Young

2018 – Duane Haskins

2006 – Troy Smith*

1996 – Orlando Pace

1995 – Eddie George*

1984 – Keith Byars

1975 – Archie Griffin*

1974 – Archie Griffin*

1955 – Howard “Hopalong” Cassady*

1950 – Vic Janowicz*

1944 – Les Horvath*

*Heisman Trophy Winner

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COURTESY OSU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS