C.J. Stroud – Rising Sophomore
Why Stroud could win the starting job
For one thing, it looked like he was the next in the pecking order whenever Justin Fields went out of the game late in the year. He got most of the mop-up time against Michigan State, and filled in for one play when Fields was getting attention after a hard hit in the Clemson game. Stroud possesses better ability to ad-lib on the ground than the other two, so there’s probably a little more you can do with him. That seems to give him an advantage entering the spring and beyond.
What might hold Stroud back
He’s still raw. Stroud was a fast-climber in recruiting circles his senior year, but is still a work in progress. His throwing motion isn’t something you’d see at a quarterback clinic, and his arm strength and precision aren’t quite as good as the other two. He’s still good, but when it comes to pushing the ball down the field with reads and accuracy, he’s still good, not great.