During the middle of his first season as Ohio State’s starting quarterback, C.J. Stroud realized he needed just to be himself.
Early on in his first season leading the Buckeyes’ offense, Stroud felt like he was trying to be too politically correct when he met with the media. On the other hand, there were times last season when he said things he probably shouldn’t have said publicly, and Ohio State’s communications directors advised him to be careful about what he revealed during interviews. Eventually, though, Stroud felt like he was able to find his comfort zone with handling the attention he received off the field, which in turn allowed him to become more comfortable on the field.