For the first time in his young collegiate career, C.J. Stroud has been named a champion by the Ohio State coaching staff.
Stroud, who was awarded with the honor of Big Ten Freshman of the Week for his five-touchdown performance against Rutgers, was also named the offensive player of the game for the Buckeyes.
Aside from Stroud, 20 other Ohio State players were named champions for their part in the Buckeyes' 52-13 win in New Jersey. Ronnie Hickman, the only four-time champion for the Buckeyes this season, was named the defensive player of the game, while Demario McCall and Cade Kacherski were the special teams players of the game.
Joining Stroud on offense were running backs Master Teague, Marcus Crowley and TreVeyon Henderson, while tight ends Jeremy Ruckert and Mitch Rossi and wide receivers Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson were all named champions as well. (Note: Wilson was omitted from the original list of champions, but Ohio State said that was in error.)
Dawand Jones and Paris Johnson Jr. were the only members of the starting offensive line that didn't grade out as champions, while Matt Jones was named a champion after coming off the bench.
On defense, Zach Harrison and Tyleik Williams were the lone defensive linemen to earn the honor, while Denzel Burke, Bryson Shaw and Marcus Williamson graded out as champions in the secondary. At linebacker, Cody Simon was the only champion for the Buckeyes.
Here's a complete list, including Ohio State's scout team players of the week.
Ohio State Champions vs. Rutgers
Offense: RB Master Teague, RB Marcus Crowley, RB TreVeyon Henderson, TE Jeremy Ruckert, TE Mitch Rossi, WR Chris Olave, OL Luke Wypler, OL Thayer Munford, OL Nicholas Petit-Frere, OL Matthew Jones, WR Garrett Wilson
Player of the Game: QB C.J. Stroud
Defense: DE Zach Harrison, DT Tyliek Williams, CB Denzel Burke, SAF Marcus Williamson, LB Cody Simon, SAF Bryson Shaw
Player of the Game: SAF Ronnie Hickman
Special Teams Players of the Game: CB Demario McCall and LB Cade Kacherski
Scout Team Players of the Week: Jakob James, Cayden Saunders and Jackson Kuwatch
| Player | Total | Games |
|---|---|---|
| WR JAXON SMITH-NJIGBA | 3 | MINNESOTA, TULSA, AKRON |
| LT NICHOLAS PETIT-FRERE | 3 | MINNESOTA, AKRON, RUTGERS |
| TE JEREMY RUCKERT | 3 | MINNESOTA, AKRON, RUTGERS |
| WR CHRIS OLAVE | 3 | MINNESOTA (PLAYER OF THE GAME), AKRON, RUTGERS |
| RB TREVEYON HENDERSON | 3 | TULSA (PLAYER OF THE GAME), AKRON, RUTGERS |
| C LUKE WYPLER | 3 | MINNESOTA, AKRON, RUTGERS |
| LG MATTHEW JONES | 3 | TULSA, AKRON, RUTGERS |
| WR GARRETT WILSON | 3 | MINNESOTA, AKRON (PLAYER OF THE GAME), RUTGERS |
| RT DAWAND JONES | 2 | MINNESOTA, AKRON (PLAYER OF THE GAME) |
| RG PARIS JOHNSON JR. | 2 | MINNESOTA, AKRON |
| TE MITCH ROSSI | 2 | TULSA, RUTGERS |
| OL THAYER MUNFORD | 2 | MINNESOTA, RUTGERS |
| QB C.J. STROUD | 1 | RUTGERS (PLAYER OF THE GAME) |
| RB MASTER TEAGUE | 1 | RUTGERS |
| RB MARCUS CROWLEY | 1 | RUTGERS |
| RB MIYAN WILLIAMS | 1 | MINNESOTA (PLAYER OF THE GAME) |
| Player | Total | Games |
|---|---|---|
| S RONNIE HICKMAN | 4 | MINNESOTA, TULSA, AKRON, RUTGERS (PLAYER OF THE GAME) |
| DT TYLEIK WILLIAMS | 3 | TULSA, AKRON (PLAYER OF THE GAME), RUTGERS |
| DT HASKELL GARRETT | 2 | MINNESOTA, AKRON |
| LB TERADJA MITCHELL | 2 | MINNESOTA, AKRON |
| DE ZACH HARRISON | 2 | MINNESOTA (PLAYER OF THE GAME), RUTGERS |
| S BRYSON SHAW | 2 | MINNESOTA, RUTGERS |
| CB DENZEL BURKE | 2 | MINNESOTA, RUTGERS |
| LB CODY SIMON | 2 | MINNESOTA, RUTGERS |
| DT TARON VINCENT | 1 | MINNESOTA |
| DE JAVONTAE JEAN-BAPTISTE | 1 | MINNESOTA |
| DT ANTWUAN JACKSON | 1 | MINNESOTA |
| S JOSH PROCTOR | 1 | MINNESOTA |
| S CAMERON MARTINEZ | 1 | TULSA (PLAYER OF THE GAME) |
| LB TOMMY EICHENBERG | 1 | MINNESOTA |
| LB STEELE CHAMBERS | 1 | AKRON |
| S MARCUS WILLIAMSON | 1 | RUTGERS |
*No champions named following Week 2 matchup with Oregon.
