The former Ohio State quarterback was named Wednesday as the winner of the Pro Football Writers of America’s Good Guy Award, which recognizes the NFL player who best helps pro football writers do their jobs, for the 2023 season.

.@HoustonTexans QB C.J. Stroud (@CJ7STROUD) selected as the 2024 PFWA Good Guy Award winner: https://t.co/JHQCV2Hwz1 pic.twitter.com/MSjrirrM3T

— Pro Football Writers (@PFWAwriters) May 29, 2024

Stroud won the award over fellow finalists Joel Bitonio (Cleveland Browns guard), Dion Dawkins (Buffalo Bills tackle), Brandon Graham (Philadelphia Eagles defensive end) and Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys quarterback).

“Stroud is the Good Guy Award winner because of his professionalism and openness with both the national and local media. He is always available during the week and after games, win or lose. He understands the media has a job to do and answers each question thoroughly,” PFWA Houston chapter co-vice president Jonathan Alexander said in a press release. “He is also active in the Houston community without seeking attention, recently volunteering to remove trees and clean up debris from yards in underserved communities after a storm left many residents without power for several days.”

.@CJ7STROUD giving back to H-Town after the storm this past week

: @ashleeonair pic.twitter.com/3K16i5tyVN

— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) May 20, 2024

Stroud, the first Houston Texans to win the award since it was first presented in 2005, was honored to receive the award.

“It’s a blessing to be recognized as the PFWA Good Guy Award winner, and it stands out to me because it’s more of an award that embodies someone’s character rather than the stats they compile on the field,” Stroud said in a statement. “I appreciate the job the media has and thank them for choosing me as someone who is deserving of this honor. A special shoutout to the other very deserving players who were nominated and those that won before me.”

Stroud drew praise throughout his rookie season with the Houston Texans for his thoughtful and eloquent answers during press conferences, in which Stroud – who was also one of the best quarterbacks on the field during the 2023 season, winning the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award – frequently demonstrated his football knowledge and ability to break down plays.

Enjoy this incredible breakdown from, C.J Stroud on how he led the Texans to a late 4th quarter drive against the Falcons.

Including making an in-game adjustment, fooling an All-Pro safety and getting the trust from Bobby Slowik to make it happen. pic.twitter.com/w3yJThr2sf

— Chancellor Johnson (@ChancellorTV) October 12, 2023

Stroud’s recognition for his professionalism with the media comes as no surprise to those who covered Stroud at Ohio State. During his two years as the Buckeyes’ starting quarterback, Stroud was a favorite among media members for his unusual candor in a position that often favors coachspeak.

In one of his most recent trips back to Columbus for Ohio State’s pro day, Stroud took the time to meet with local media more than an hour after the pro day had concluded and looked as comfortable as he had ever been fielding questions from Ohio State reporters inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. He said the biggest thing he learned about communicating with the media from his time at Ohio State is the importance of being himself rather than trying to craft the perfect answer to every question.

“I can sit up here and crack jokes with y’all and just be myself,” Stroud said during that interview session. “Early on (in my Ohio State career), you would try to like answer everything the right way or do it – like, man, whatever you’re doing, I just try to be myself. So that’s something that definitely prepared me from Ohio State to the NFL.”

Now entering his second season with the Texans, Stroud is already one of the faces of the NFL thanks to both his excellence on the field and his personality off the field, which has quickly made him a fan favorite in the league.

OHIO — While summer may mean a time for relaxing, it’s also a time for younger people to find some work outside of school to make a little bit of extra cash on the side. 

A recent report from the finance website WalletHub ranked the best 100 cities in America to find a summer job, and three Ohio cities made the list. 

WalletHub compared 182 cities with two key dimensions: youth job market, and social environment and affordability. This included the availability of summer jobs and internships, access to public transportation, rental price as a share of median income and the unemployment rate of people ages 16 to 24. 

The 182 cities also included the 150 most populated cities, as well as at least two of the most populated cities in each state.

Cincinnati got the highest ranking of the Ohio cities, coming in 28th place. Cleveland was placed at No. 62 and Akron at No. 77. 

Some other Ohio cities made the ranking, just outside of the 100 top spots. Toledo came next at No. 105, with Columbus following at No. 112. 

As for the best jobs markets for young people in the whole country, here were the top five:

1. Columbia, Maryland
2. Scottsdale, Arizona
3. Portland, Maine
4. Orlando, Florida
5. South Burlington, Vermont

As for the worst cities for summer jobs, they are:

1. Laredo, Texas
2. Memphis, Tennessee
3. Baton Rouge, Louisiana
4. Moreno Valley, California
5. Jackson, Mississippi

For more information on the study, click here.

The No. 7 Ohio State Buckeyes men’s golf team couldn’t keep up with the No. 6 Auburn Tigers Tuesday night in the semifinals of the NCAA Championship at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California.

Ohio State fell to the Tigers 3&2 in 21 holes as Auburn will now face the Florida State Seminoles in the championship match on Wednesday.

Maxwell Moldovan and Tyler Sabo both got 1-up wins for the Buckeyes while Neal Shipley (2&1) and Jackson Chandler (1up) lost their matchups in the best-of-five match play format.

In the final and deciding match between the two teams, Buckeyes senior Adam Wallin went up against SEC Player of the Year and freshman Jackson Koivun – who were tied after the regulation 18. After two extra holes, the two were still even, but on the par-5 18th – the third extra hole, Koivu made birdie to put Auburn in the championship round against FSU.

Earlier in the day in the quarterfinal round, the Buckeyes defeated the No. 2 seed Vanderbilt 3-1-1 to advance to the semifinals, while Auburn beat No. 3 Virginia 3-1.

Chandler (3&2), Shipley (4&2) and Wallin (19 holes) all won their quarterfinal matches to help the Buckeyes advance to the semifinals.

Ohio State finished stroke play at 22-over par as a team with a total of 1174. That put it behind Auburn, Florida State, North Carolina, Virginia, Vanderbilt, and Illinois as the top eight teams advanced to match play.

Last season, another SEC team, Florida, won the title with a 3-1 win over Georgia Tech. Neither Auburn or Florida State has won an NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship, meaning this year, there will be a first-time winner.