‘I used to dream of stuff like this,’ Texans Pro Bowl quarterback C.J. Stroud holds second annual youth football camp

HOUSTON – Growing up in California, C.J. Stroud didn’t always have the kind of interactions he had hoped for when meeting with people he looked up to.

That’s why the Texans’ Pro Bowl quarterback wanted to leave kids with an altogether different kind of experience during his second annual youth football camp.

Scrambling around the field at St. Thomas Catholic High School on Tuesday morning, lobbing passes and sharing his faith, knowledge and a strong message of listening to parents, Stroud was all smiles during a well-attended camp that included hundreds of Houston area kids.

“The night before I always try to pray and ask God for strength to be able to handle 600 kids and give them everything they’re looking for when they talk to me,” Stroud said. “That means something. I’ve had times when I met some of my heroes and they weren’t the nicest people, so I want to be that person. Like Snoop Dogg said: ‘You’re not only going to see me on TV, but you can touch me and be able to be around me and feel my energy.”

And the campers enthusiastically did from the moment Stroud walked onto the field, greeted by raucous cheers with his name chanted in unison.

During a camp run by the C.J. Stroud Foundation directed by Stroud’s mother, Kimberly Stroud, and attended by her and his siblings along with Texans majority owner Cal McNair, foundation vice president Hannah McNair, quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson, wide receiver Tank Dell and Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Terrell Owens, Stroud emphasized the importance of listening to parents, leaning into faith and establishing a work ethic.

“The message is a multitude of things, but it starts with God and listen to your parents, and that’s a recipe for success,” Stroud said. “That’s what I did as a kid and that’s what I’ll always pass along through my foundation. That’s really what I want to give, how to set a foundation set on rocks and go from there.”

To become a role model, to provide an example, that’s not something that Stroud takes lightly. It’s a responsibility he embraces.

“You guys know me, I]m not really full of myself much,” he said. “I think I’m okay, I guess. It’s just amazing to have kids hear who you are. I really used to dream of stuff like this, but it’s crazy to see the city come out and support me and want to be around me. That’s just a blessing. I’m just really inspired. I want to keep being great for that reason right there.”

Since Stroud arrived a year ago as the second overall pick in the draft, the two-time Heisman Trophy finalist has been a major force in the Texans’ dramatic turnaround.

From 3-13-1 in 2022 to an 11-8 finish and an AFC South division title last season as the Texans returned to playoffs under the direction of coach DeMeco Ryans, Stroud has provided a boost to the organization and the city. The NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year has been an agent of change for a franchise that had three consecutive losing seasons before he joined the Texans

Stroud, 22, is still one of the youngest players on the team, but he’s a team captain and a leader who has changed the fortunes of a football team that was previously bereft of a player like him under center.

The Texans have emerged as a trendy Super Bowl contender headlined by Stroud on a roster dotted with talent that includes Stefon Diggs, Nico Collins, Dell, Dalton Schultz, Joe Mixon, Laremy Tunsil, Will Anderson Jr., Danielle Hunter, Azeez Al-Shaair, Christian Harris and Derek Stingley Jr.

“Man, it’s been crazy,” Stroud said. “Everywhere I go, out the country, in the country, I see Texans gear. I see No. 7 jerseys. I see Stroud jerseys. So, just to have that inspiration, to inspire people, it’s a blessing and I can’t do nothing but thank God and my family. It’s something that was instilled in me as a kid. It’s amazing.”

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