Coleridge Bernard Stroud IV is back.
Ahead of the top-10 showdown between Ohio State and Penn State, C.J. Stroud embraced some of his former Ohio State teammates as the Buckeyes participated in early warmups. The interactions came moments before Stroud appeared on College GameDay as the "Guest Picker" for ESPN's game of the week.
Welcome back, C.J. pic.twitter.com/JZirq4miqD
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) October 21, 2023
Stroud is a rookie for the Houston Texans after playing for the Buckeyes from 2020-22, earning back-to-back Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year awards and invitations to the Heisman Trophy ceremony in his two seasons as a starter. In two starts against Penn State, Stroud completed 48 of 67 passes for 659 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Buckeyes to a pair of victories.
The Texans are on a bye this week, opening up the opportunity for Stroud to return to Columbus to watch the Buckeyes take on Penn State in their biggest home game of the year. Stroud is currently the frontrunner to win the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award, having completed 127 of 213 passes for 1,660 yards and nine touchdowns with one interception in six games as an NFL quarterback, leading the Texans to a 3-3 start after the franchise won three games in the entire 2022 season.
Stroud is the second straight former Ohio State player to serve as a guest picker for a GameDay broadcast in Columbus, as former Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk was the guest picker for last year’s home game against Michigan. Other recent guest pickers for GameDay broadcasts from Ohio State have included musicians Jack Harlow (2022 vs. Notre Dame) and Twenty One Pilots (2021 vs. Michigan State), Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George (2019 vs. Penn State) and MLB star Bryce Harper (2018 vs. Michigan).
