Tag: CJ Stroud

Ohio State football recruiting: No. 2 pro-style QB CJ Stroud commits to Ohio State

The Ohio State Buckeyes have secured a commitment from the Class of 2020’s No. 2 overall pro-style quarterback, CJ Stroud.

Ohio State may have their next elite quarterback on the way. The No. 2 ranked pro-style quarterback in the Class of 2020, CJ Stroud, just announced his commitment to Ohio State. It was the biggest remaining target the Buckeyes were looking to convince heading into the first day of the early signing period.

Mission accomplished.

The four-star recruit had visited with Georgia and Michigan in the last month, but made a last minute jaunt to Ohio State, perhaps signaling a lean towards the Buckeyes. Stroud’s final five schools were Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, and USC. He’ll join seven other four-star recruits in what is shaping up to be a top five OSU 2020 recruiting class.

247 Sports Crystal Ball prediction had him committing with the Buckeyes all along. However, with Justin Fields remaining the team’s unanimous leader for at least one more season, Shroud won’t get the start immediately. He’s also the second four-star QB to pledge to OSU for the 2020 class meaning the competition might be fierce with fellow commit Jack Miller.

Those two quarterbacks will join the nation’s top overall offensive lineman and wide receiver in Columbus next season.

Here’s a look at how Stroud announced his decision.

[lawrence-related id=19179]

Welcome to Columbus, CJ!

What does 4-star QB CJ Stroud picking Ohio State over Georgia mean for UGA football?

What does 4-star QB CJ Stroud picking Ohio State over Georgia mean for UGA football?

Four-star quarterback CJ Stroud was the latest Georgia football target to announce his commitment Wednesday afternoon.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t how Coach Kirby Smart and Coach James Coley had hoped the decision would go.

Stroud stuck to his original favorite in Ohio State and will join the Buckeyes in Columbus for the Class of 2020. Now, the Bulldogs must quickly find another quarterback to lead the team next season, unless junior Jake Fromm plans on returning.

With the scenario that Fromm does leave Athens and head to the NFL, the Bulldogs would be left with a shaky situation at quarterback as of right now.

Here’s how the cupboard currently looks without Fromm in it.

  • Stetson Bennett, the redshirt junior, who originally left Georgia to play one year of JUCO ball before transferring elsewhere, but is now back in Athens. Bennett re-signed with the Bulldogs during last year’s early signing period.
  • 2020 four-star quarterback Carson Beck, who signed with the program Wednesday morning.
  • 2019 four-star dual-threat Dwan Mathis, sliding under the radar after surgery to remove a brain cyst this offseason.
  • Former Nevada freshman Austin Kirksey, who will walk on next year in Athens.

Yeah, not exactly the quarterback room the Bulldogs had for a few weeks with Jake Fromm, Jacob Eason and Justin Fields at the end of 2017. But… that’s where the transfer market comes into play.

Potential Georgia targets Jordan Love of Utah State and Joey Gatewood out of Auburn already made their decisions. Love will enter the NFL Draft, while Gatewood has elected to go to Kentucky.

Meanwhile, two options seem to remain high on the lists of Bulldog fans.

  1. Sign Houston transfer D’Eriq King to come in and replace Fromm.
  2. Get former Ole Miss coach Matt Luke to flip John Rhys Plumlee out of Oxford. *(Plumlee has yet to put his name in the transfer portal, so this is beginning to look like a tall task)*

If Plumlee were serious about leaving Ole Miss and coming to Georgia, it probably would have happened already. In addition, it is well-known that coaches of other schools cannot actively recruit players not currently in the portal. With no word on Plumlee leaving Oxford or entering the portal, this is probably a long shot at this point.

Georgia’s most precise options include landing King out of Houston, bringing back Fromm for another season or flipping another unexpected commit Wednesday or in February. Of course, Beck has plenty of talent, but the task of starting the incoming freshman is far from easy.

It would be much more reasonable to bring in a transfer if Fromm leaves and platoon the remaining quarterbacks on the roster to play primarily in 2021.

Make sure to check back with UGA Wire throughout the day as we bring you all the coverage on everything happening around the country in recruiting.

4-star UGA football target makes commitment

Four-star quarterback CJ Stroud makes a decision on his commitment

Wednesday, the Georgia football program signed all of its intended commits as expected, though retaining everyone was no small feat.

Now, the Dawgs will turn their attention elsewhere, as a number of highly-ranked prospects are still yet to announce their college choices.

Four-star CJ Stroud out of California is the latest to unveil where he will be playing college ball.

The pro-style quarterback ranked No. 83 in the nation per 247Sports and No. 10 in the state of California, will be heading North to Columbus. Ohio State was always considered the front-runner for Stroud, though it had been reported Georgia made a significant late push to try and land the 6’2.5″, 194-pound signal caller.

Now, the Bulldogs will have to zone in on some of their backup options to replace Fromm, assuming he does in fact declare for the 2020 NFL Draft. Though nothing with Fromm is official as of right now, Georgia will likely turn its attention to newly signed four-star Carson Beck, in addition to the transfer market.

An experienced quarterback like Houston’s D’Eriq King could be an option for the Bulldogs, while taking a gamble with Stetson Bennett, Dwan Mathis and Carson Beck is also a possibility.

Stay tuned to UGA Wire throughout the day as we bring you extensive coverage of the early signing period.