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Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud may have just induced the Buckeyes' rivalry with the Michigan Wolverines. While it was USC quarterback Caleb Williams who won the Heisman, it was the exchange, or lack thereof, between the two that had everyone talking.
The Heisman nominee was brought up on stage and as he shook hands with other former winners of the coveted award, he passed right over Michigan alum Desmond Howard.
Howard won the Heisman in 1991 as a senior wide receiver for the Wolverines. But it wasn't just the fact that the two played for rival universities, it dates back to an incident that occurred between the two at last year's awards ceremony.
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In 2021, Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson was being interviewed and mentioned defeating Ohio State. Another former Heisman winner, Tim Tebow, said that he was glad that then-Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett was in between the two. Howard then added that Pickett was better than Stroud's offensive line at Ohio State.
As a college football analyst for ESPN, Desmond Howard has been critical of the way the Buckeyes quarterback played. He has even said that he didn't believe that Stroud should be nominated for the Heisman Trophy. All of this apparently led to the contentious behavior between the two.
Howard turned away as the quarterback approached the stage on Saturday night. The Ohio State quarterback only shook two others' hands as he made his way up on stage.
Will QB CJ Stroud get drafted in 2023?
The 2022 season was the second season that the quarterback was the starter for the Ohio State Buckeyes. The redshirt junior has been highly scouted all season long as he led the Buckeyes to victories in some close games down the stretch this past season.
The only blemish for Ohio State in 2022 was the loss to the Michigan Wolverines in the final game of the season. This cost Ohio State a chance to play for the Big Ten Championship.
Despite that, the quarterback is still considered not only a first-round draft pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, but perhaps even one of the first two quarterbacks drafted.
Stroud and Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Bryce Young, who won the Heisman in 2021, are expected to be the first two chosen.
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