Texans' CJ Stroud Ohio State's 1st Former Student-Athlete to Donate to NIL Collective

Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud is the first former-student athlete to make a major donation to Ohio State's NIL Collective, "THE Foundation."

THE Foundation announced Monday that Stroud had made a donation.

Stroud, who was drafted second overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, spent three seasons at Ohio State, throwing for 8,123 yards and 85 touchdowns during his two years as the starting quarterback. Stroud certainly earned some lofty NIL deals while with the Buckeyes, and was valued at $2.9 million by On3.com at the time he was drafted by the Texans last April.

Stroud had a successful first season in the NFL, throwing for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns while giving away just five interceptions. He led the Texans to the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, where they lost to the Baltimore Ravens.

Stroud's former team is having success this offseason, and Stroud's donation to the NIL collective will likely only help that success. The Buckeyes landed former 5-star quarterback Julian Sayin in the transfer portal from Alabama along with his teammate Caleb Downs. Ohio State also picked up elite running back Quinshon Judkins, who transferred from Ole Miss, and some other valuable transfer prospects.

The Buckeyes are now setting up for a big 2024 season thanks to a strong transfer class after coming off an 11-2 season that ended with a loss to Missouri in the Cotton Bowl. The Buckeyes fell short against Michigan and ultimately missed out on the College Football Playoff, but they'll be looking to bring some hardware back to Columbus next season.

Getting an NIL collective donation from their former quarterback certainly helps.