Ohio State Football: CJ Stroud or Jack Miller for QB1 in 2021?

Justin Fields is off to the NFL and now Ohio State football will be tasked with finding his replacement. Will it be CJ Stroud or Jack Miller?

Say goodbye to Justin Fields, Ohio State fans. After two fantastic seasons with the Buckeyes as a transfer from Georgia, the talented dual-threat is heading off to the NFL as the second or third-best quarterback prospect in the class and a lock to be a top-10 pick.

With that departure, Ryan Day now faces the toughest task of his head coaching career: replacing an All-American level talent at quarterback and he must do so after a playoff appearance.

Entering spring ball, Day has a couple of solid options for QB1: Jack Miller and CJ Stroud.

Miller was a three-star freshman last season and didn’t get an opportunity to throw the ball but he ran the ball two times for 23 yards and a touchdown. The 6-4, 210-pound quarterback from Arizona began the year as the backup, but things were less clear on the depth chart as the season progressed. He’s not your typical blue-chip Ohio State quarterback, but he’s a solid pro-style passer.

Stroud, on the other hand, came in as a five-star, according to 247Sports, with the 2020 recruiting class and he was listed as the No. 2 pro-style passer in the class. He, like Miller, didn’t attempt a single pass behind Fields in 2020 but he did have a 48-yard touchdown run and looked like a more mobile quarterback.

Who has the upper hand?

Right now, if I’m Day, I’m going with Stroud because he gives Ohio State a much higher ceiling and he has budding superstar written all over him.

Ohio State can’t go wrong with either Miller or Stroud, but if the offense wants to have that explosiveness that it had with Fields leading the way, I think the staff has to go with the latter.

Stroud is a little more explosive with his legs and has great vision and if he can focus on his accuracy this offseason and develop a connection with his receivers, I think he has the ability to become one of the best quarterbacks in the country.