It's a game day during his senior season, and in the hours leading up to kickoff, C.J. Stroud unlocks his iPhone, taps it to play the song that motivates him most and begins getting his mind ready on a Friday night playing for Rancho Cucamonga High School.
Whether a home or away game, it's always the same song that allows him to zone in — Meek Mill’s “Wins and Losses” pounding into his ears, as he envisions scrambling for a 37-yard rushing touchdown and tossing an 80-yard touchdown pass in California’s Division 2 state semifinals.
Listening to this song is an all-day routine on game days for the blue-chip quarterback, but the final minutes before kickoff are when those lyrics and beat create its biggest impact.