C.J. Stroud Allegedly “Ghosting” Peyton Manning’s Academy After Making a Commitment Might Drastically Affect His Draft Stock

As the 2023 NFL Draft approaches, concerns about the potential first-round pick are on the rise. The Ohio State Buckeyes QB C.J. Stroud is looked upon as the top-three pick in this year’s draft class. But a few analysts have taken issue with the young talent.

Brady Quinn, the former Notre Dame QB, current Fox Sports college football analyst, and Ohio native, thinks that Stroud will be the No. 2 pick off the board. He also said that some NFL insiders have found a few things that are concerning about the QB. Most of the concerns are related to his connection with Peyton Manning’s prestigious football camp.

C.J. Stroud failed to show up at the Manning Passing Academy

The Manning Passing Academy is a youth football offensive skills camp set up by Archie Manning and his sons, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, and Cooper Manning.

Report: CJ Stroud made a commitment to the Manning Passing Academy but “the night before he ghosted them and didn’t show up”, per @Brady_Quinn

"When you do that, that's gonna set up alarms for people."

Quinn noted that as one of three concerns with Stroud (h/t @PanthersAnalyst) pic.twitter.com/z2Y9gAPbFe

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) April 19, 2023

Quinn recently appeared in an interview for CBS Sports ‘Puck Six Podcast,’ where he revealed how the Stroud-Manning connection might hamper the QB’s draft stock. “The Manning Passing Academy, I’ve been told that he committed to it the night before, just kind of ghosted them, didn’t show up,” Quinn said.

“That’s football royalty. And when you do that, that’s going to set off some alarms for people like, ‘Hey man, that’s not how you conduct yourself, especially around the Manning family or just in general if you’re going to be a franchise quarterback.'”

But a few hours later, Ryan Clark, the Super Bowl-winning safety and an ESPN analyst, dismissed the rumors.

CJ Stroud never committed to attend the Manning camp.

He chose to work with his teammates at @OhioStateFB instead before his final season.

He wasn’t paid to go, & furthermore @Brady_Quinn what does acquiescing to the Manning family have to do with leading an organization?

— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) April 20, 2023

Quinn still believes Stroud is the most accurate QB

Apart from the above-mentioned issue, Quinn said that Stroud’s ability to perform under pressure dropped during his college career. However, the best game that he played under pressure was against Georgia in the College Football Playoff semifinal.

Additionally, the analyst also added that the organizations thought Stroud’s surroundings and the system he played in were potential disadvantages. But despite the concerns, “He’s the most accurate quarterback in this draft class, he showcased his athleticism ability,” Quinn said. “Any time I’ve been around the kid, he’s been an upstanding young man who’s grown and matured into a leader I think NFL teams are looking for.”

As the starting quarterback of Ohio State for two seasons, Stroud completed 8,123 passes for 8,851 yards and 12 interceptions.