Two Ohio State players were named Associated Press midseason All-Americans on Tuesday, but C.J. Stroud was not one of them.
According to AP Top 25 voters, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Paris Johnson Jr. were worthy of the recognition. However, Tennessee's Hendon Hooker took the lone quarterback nomination from Stroud, the current frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy.
AP Midseason All-America team.
— Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoAP) October 18, 2022
Hendon Hooker, two Big Ten running backs, and Alabama's offense-wrecking WIll Anderson Jr, lead the way.https://t.co/cHfzxv9oFS
Hooker has completed 119 of 170 passes (70%) for 1,817 yards and 15 touchdowns with only one interception this year for the No. 3 Volunteers. His most recent performance of 385 yards and five scores in Tennesee's 52-49 win over Alabama has put him in the Heisman Trophy conversation as one of the nation's best players.
Still, Hooker's nomination over Stroud will certainly turn heads, as the Ohio State redshirt sophomore quarterback put together a strong resume in the Buckeyes' first six games, completing 113 of 160 attempts (70.6%) for 1,737 yards, 24 touchdowns and three interceptions.
Despite Ohio State's off week, Stroud is tied with North Carolina's Drake Maye for the NCAA lead in passing touchdowns. He also ranks first in the FBS in passer efficiency at 207.57 – 19.85 points ahead of second-place Hooker.
As for Ohio State's nominees, Harrison has stuffed the stat sheet as the Buckeyes' No. 1 wide receiver in the absence of AP preseason All-American Jaxon Smith-Njigba. He has caught 31 passes for 536 yards and nine touchdowns this season, including two three-score games against Arkansas State and Michigan State. Harrison trails only Tennesee's Jalin Hyatt (10) for the FBS lead in receiving touchdowns.
Johnson has been a standout in his first season at left tackle for Ohio State. According to Pro Football Focus, he has not allowed a sack since the 2020 season, which now includes more than 630 snaps as a pass-blocker. His success this season in that area has kept Stroud clean, which has undoubtedly contributed to the signal-caller's success in the first half of the season.
