How Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud has made high school coach Mark Verti proud: ‘His brain game hasn’t changed’

HOUSTON – Standing inside a hallway at NRG Stadium late Sunday afternoon, Mark Verti beamed with pride after watching advanced Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud resiliently beat the New Orleans Saints.

Six games into his NFL career, Stroud is the leading candidate for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

And Verti, Stroud’s high school coach while growing up in Rancho Cucamonga, California, wasn’t surprised in the slightest to watch how the second overall pick from Ohio State rebounded from his first NFL interception and how he made adjustments on the fly in a 20-13 victory over the Saints as he threw two touchdown passes.

Wearing a red No. 7 Stroud jersey while attending the game with his daughter and watching in the Texans’ family section with Stroud’s mother, Kimberly Stroud, and other family and friends, Verti recounted how Stroud uses his mind and his arm to beat the competition.

“It’s crazy, just his development over the years when he was in high school,” Verti said. “His brain game hasn’t changed. His accuracy hasn’t changed. He just gets better and better. It’s nothing new, but it’s amplified with each level. It is really exciting for us. It’s goosebumps right now.”

Stroud has passed for 1,660 yards to rank fourth in the NFL in passing yards. He has nine touchdowns and one interception.

As a senior in high school, Stroud passed for 3,878 yards and 47 touchdowns.

At Ohio State, Stroud beat out blue-chip recruits to go 21-4 in two seasons as the Buckeyes’ starter. He passed for 8,123 yards, 85 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

The way that Stroud bounced back from his first NFL interception after setting a league record 191 passes without one to start his career spoke volumes to Verti.

“You see the roots,” Verti said. “The shake and go, he did that in high school.”

Stroud didn’t dwell on the miscue. After wide receiver Nico Collins forced linebacker Zack Baun to fumble and offensive guard Tytus Howard recovered the loose football, Stroud marched the Texans on a long drive capped by his touchdown pass to tight end Dalton Schultz.

“What I’ve been through in this game, coming from a place like Ohio State, having ups and downs and just knowing the next play is the best play,” Stroud said. “It’s not about what’s happened before or the game before or whatever. It’s about going 1-0 every play. I can go all the way back to high school. My head coach from high school is sitting back there, so I may be thinking about him.

“But he’ll tell you at times I’d get flustered. I’d get pissed because I want to be so great. And, I work really hard on the little details, on straining two yards every play after the whistle is blown. I get really down on myself. I’m probably my biggest critic.”

In high school, Stroud made it a point to spread the football around. He does the same thing in the NFL while maintaining his composure.

“He has always talked about staying even-keeled,” Verti said. “When bad things happen, who cares? Just move on to the next drive. He has always done a good job reaching everybody. He made sure each guy in practice got the ball. He’s always reached out, always tried to reach everyone and not just the guys who got the ball every time. He always reaches out to everybody. He is just a person who helps everybody, just a good guy.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com