ATHENS, Ga. — According to Friday morning reports from Letterman Row and 247Sports’ Ohio State site, Bucknuts, former five-star quarterback and Harrison High product Justin Fields is leaving Georgia to join Ohio State.
Speculation about Fields’ offseason moves had been circulating since it was learned that Fields entered himself into the NCAA transfer database back in mid December. Other reports indicated that Fields, a 6-foot-3, 225 pound dual-threat signal caller — once considered the No. 2 quarterback prospect in the country as a senior in high school — was unhappy with his playing time and role he was used in at UGA.
In his true freshman season, fields completed 27 of 39 passes for 328 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed for 266 yards on 42 carries with four additional rushing scores. He saw his most extensive action during Georgia’s 66-27 win over UMass. In that game, he completed 5 of 8 passes for 121 yards and two scores while rushing for 100 yards and touchdown on seven carries.
His last time on the field as a Bulldog was in the Dawgs’ 35-28 loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship game. Fields threw one pass and carried three times for six yards, including the infamously failed fake punt attempt late in the fourth quarter. He traveled but didn’t play in Georgia’s 28-21 Sugar Bowl loss to Texas.
Fields could likely face similar competition for the starting quarterback job in Columbus that he saw in Athens, as junior Dwayne Haskins has yet to declare for the NFL draft. Current Ohio State backup Tate Martell has been considered the likely heir apparent to the Buckeyes’ starting signal caller role if Haskins were to depart.
Martell has sounded off several times on Twitter and most recently in an interview with the Ohio State student newspaper, seemingly warning Fields to think twice about coming to Ohio State to play.
In addition to Martell, four-star quarterback Matthew Baldwin will be a redshirt freshman next year.
According to NCAA rules, Fields would likely have to sit out for a season, although Fields does have the ability to appeal the ruling.
Meanwhile, Georgia has four-star dual-threat quarterback John Rhys Plumlee as a commit for the 2019 recruiting class.
