C.J. Stroud

In 2017, when Hurricane Harvey hit, the city of Houston was devastated. Lives were lost, homes were destroyed, and Houstonians were left not only picking up the pieces after one of the most brutal storms in history, but also picking up one another. I’ll never forget images of neighbors sitting on buckets, gathered around a portable television in a house with no walls, watching the Astros as they went on to win the World Series. 

Hope. 

The Astros gave them hope. 

Something to look forward to, something to believe in, something to be proud of. 

In 2024, C.J. Stroud is that hope. 

You might think it’s because he’s coming off arguably the greatest rookie season of any quarterback in NFL history. Or because he’s helped put the Texans in legitimate Super Bowl conversations as he enters only his second season.

And you’d be right. Partially. 

But it’s also the hurricane-­cleanup efforts, school-­supply drives, grocery giveaways, and youth camps. It’s the way he praises his teammates and projects positivity even amid adversity. It’s how he carries himself and who he is. 

He is someone to believe in and someone to be proud of.

He is Houston.

Watt is a philanthropist and a former Houston Texans defensive end