C.J. Stroud Roasted Michigan Over Sign-Stealing Before Buckeyes-Wolverines Showdown

C.J. Stroud has jokes.

During an appearance on Inside the NFL, the current Texans—and former Ohio State quarterback—was asked how confident he is in his alma mater’s ability to pull off the victory against archrival Michigan this Saturday. Stroud said he’s very confident the Buckeyes will have what it takes to win, but he added one very important caveat that was clearly a jab at the Wolverines for their sign-stealing scandal.

With a wry smile, the Texans rookie joked that “hopefully they don’t steal signals this time.” 

Lol. CJ couldn’t help himself here pic.twitter.com/taEztLmott

— Ben Koo (@bkoo) November 22, 2023

Just like many of the passes thrown during Stroud’s outstanding rookie year for the Texans, this joke was perfectly delivered, leaving Inside the NFL host Ryan Clark doubled over in laughter. Stroud couldn’t resist taking a dig at Michigan—and given the way his college career played out, can anyone really blame him?

The second overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, Stroud was a two-time Heisman Trophy finalist and led the Buckeyes to a Rose Bowl win in 2021, as well as a berth in the College Football Playoff in 2022. But the one blemish on his career was his 0-2 record as a starter against the hated Wolverines, a contest that Buckeyes fans would do almost anything to win.

But the Michigan sign-stealing scandal, an elaborate scheme that saw former staffer Connor Stalions travel to opponents’ games and allegedly decode their offensive signals from the Wolverines sideline, raises questions about the legitimacy of Stroud’s two losses in the series. Ohio State reportedly had to change its signals to account for the prying eyes of the Wolverines before The Game in 2022. 

It’s no wonder, then, that Stroud jokingly took a swipe at Michigan.