Stroud ties Dwayne Haskins (2018) and Justin Fields (2019) for the highest finish by a Buckeye since Troy Smith won the award in 2006.
Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud finished third in the voting for this year’s Heisman Trophy behind USC’s Caleb Williams and TCU’s Max Duggan and ahead of Georgia's Stetson Bennett.
A redshirt sophomore from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., Stroud has completed 66.2 percent of his passes this season for 3,340 yards and 37 touchdowns, which is tied with Houston’s Clayton Tune for the national lead. He's also first in the country in passing efficiency with a 176.25 rating.
Stroud was recently named the Big Ten’s offensive player and quarterback of the year for the second season in a row. He was also a finalist for the Maxwell, Walter Camp, Davey O’Brien and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm awards, which were split among Williams and Duggan.
Additionally, Stroud is a finalist for the Manning Award, which is presented annually to college football’s best signal-caller and is the only quarterback award that takes a candidate’s bowl performance into consideration. The winner will be announced in mid-January.
This marks the fifth time a Buckeye has finished in the top four of voting in the last five seasons, joining quarterback Dwayne Haskins (third) in 2018, quarterback Justin Fields (third) and defensive end Chase Young (fourth) in 2019 and Stroud (fourth) in 2021.
Former quarterback Troy Smith was the last Ohio State player to win the Heisman Trophy, meanwhile, giving the program its seventh recipient in 2006. That’s tied with Notre Dame, Oklahoma and – now – USC for the most of any school in the country.
The Trojans have actually had eight winners, but former running back Reggie Bush’s 2005 award was later vacated due to NCAA violations.
The rest of this year’s top 10 includes Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker, Alabama quarterback and last year’s winner Bryce Young, Michigan running back Blake Corum, Washington quarterback Michael Penix, Texas running back Bijan Robinson and North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye.
Stroud received 37 first-place votes, 119 second-place votes and 190 third-place votes, and finished with 539 total points. That's 25 additional first-place votes and 140 points more than last year, when he finished fourth.
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