Ohio State’s Garrett Wilson Defers To C.J. Stroud In Heisman Trophy Conversation

The duo has linked up 53 times for 813 yards and nine touchdowns so far this season.

Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson climbed his way into the conversation for this year's Heisman Trophy with a four-touchdown performance against Purdue on Saturday.

But when asked during his Tuesday afternoon press conference if he feels like he belongs in the race for college football's most prestigious award, Wilson instead used it as an opportunity to campaign for his quarterback, C.J. Stroud.

“Nah, it’s got to be the QB,” Wilson said. “He’s making checks, handing it off, slinging it to me when I’m open, not slinging it to me when I’m not open. He makes me look good. If it’s going to be me, it’s got to be C.J. I don’t belong up there. That’s the man, C.J., for sure.”

Wilson, a junior from Austin (Texas) Lake Travis, has caught 53 passes for 813 yards and nine touchdowns in nine games this season – that includes 10 receptions for 126 yards and three touchdowns, as well as one rush for 51 yards and another score, in the aforementioned win over the Boilermakers.

However, his impact on the offense was even more notable when the Buckeyes scored a season-low 26 points at Nebraska when he was sidelined with concussion-like symptoms.

Stroud, meanwhile, has thrown for 3,036 yards and 30 touchdowns compared to just five interceptions in his first year as a starter. He also ranks fifth in the country in passing efficiency with a 179.4 rating.

With that, Stroud – a redshirt freshman from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. – now finds himself as the betting favorite for the award alongside the likes of Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III, Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral and Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett.

“Coming into the year, I thought it would be the kid from Oklahoma (quarterback Spencer Rattler) or one of our dudes,” Wilson said. “It doesn’t surprise me at all that C.J. (is the betting favorite). I’ve seen him sling it for a year and a half now, two years, and he’s something really special.

“If we finish the way we expect to and the way we prepare to, he’ll be right where he wants to be at the end of the season as far as the Heisman race.”

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