Justin Fields is on the verge of finding a new home.
It’s a sign of the times in college football.
Ohio State may be the front-runner to bring in Fields, the 5-star quarterback who intends to transfer from Georgia following his freshman season.
The Toledo Blade, citing multiple sources, reported that Fields is also considering Florida State and Oklahoma.
Fields spoke with the Georgia coaching staff about his intention to explore a transfer, DawgNation confirmed. News of Fields’ intent to transfer was first reported by USA Today. A person with direct knowledge of the situation told DawgNation that Fields talked to Georgia on Monday about the NCAA process and potentially leaving coach Kirby Smart’s program. The person said Fields has grown frustrated with his inability to beat out incumbent Jake Fromm.
According to USA Today, Fields made his transfer request Friday. He was entered into the NCAA’s transfer database by Tuesday. Fields essentially has become a free agent and can speak to coaches from other schools. Being in the transfer database does not mean a player will leave, as they could choose to remain at their current school.
Former Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray said the issue is a great problem to have for the school.
“You are getting top recruits year in and year out,” Murray told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “This isn’t going to be the first time this happens. You don’t want it to happen, but you do want to get 5-star after 5-star after 5-star. That’s the goal. You want to be competitive when it comes to recruiting, in the locker room, in practice, in the weight room. So you want to bring in the top talent. Guys who are the most talented and most competitive are not scared. They are not going to shy away from it. At the end of the day, if it doesn’t work out, this is the new norm to go find a new home.”
According to the Toledo Blade, Ohio State coach Ryan Day is a primary reason for Fields’ interest in the Buckeyes. Fields intends to petition the NCAA for immediate eligibility, according to several reports. Fields is expected to retain Tom Mars, the attorney who helped Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson gain immediate eligibility. He also has helped other players.
“I’ve helped more than a dozen student-athletes from different sports in the past year, but I don’t talk about it publicly unless there’s a good reason to do so,” Mars told The Toledo Blade when asked if he was involved in the Fields case.
Under the NCAA’s new notification-of-transfer rule, Fields is allowed to speak to coaches from other schools. An immediate transfer would enable Fields to go through spring drills and improve his chances of starting for another team in 2019 provided the NCAA grants him a waiver for immediate eligibility.
Day will become Ohio State’s head coach Jan. 2.
Fields served as the backup to Fromm this season. The freshman quarterback was the No. 2 player in the country coming out of high school in the 2018 class. Fields is from Kennesaw, and played at Harrison High School.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart said at a Monday morning news conference that that he had no knowledge of any players intending to transfer or leave early. News of Fields’ intent to transfer broke Monday night.
Georgia officials did not comment Monday or Tuesday on the reports. A member of Fields’ family would not confirm the report. “I’m not at liberty to discuss anything,” Jo Ann Claudrick Fields said via telephone Monday night when reached by DawgNation. “We’re not confirming or denying anything. We haven’t made a decision.”
In his freshman season, Fields completed 27 of his 39 pass attempts on this season for 328 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed for 266 rushing yards on the season and four touchdowns. Fields did not start this season, but he played in 12 of the 13 games. In the SEC Championship game, Fields executed the ill-fated fake punt on fourth-and-11 in the loss to Alabama.
Fields spoke to reporters after the game and would not confirm whether he would return to Georgia for his sophomore season.
“I wanted to play here, I love this school,” Fields said after Georgia’s 35-28 loss about the decision to attend with Fromm the starting quarterback. “I’m not going to let some guy shy me away from that certain school.”
Still, coming to Athens as one of the nation’s top-rated players, Fields was “frustrated,” he said, with how little the coaching staff was using him.
Fields was used sparingly this season, especially in big games.
Other more experienced players saw that frustration in Fields.
“Justin came in as a top recruit, and your expectation is to play then,” wide receiver Mecole Hardman said after the SEC Championship game. “But you got to wait for your time, your turn. … Sometimes you get frustrated, it’s a long season. And we kept his head good.”
A video posted by Channel 2 Action News gave voice to Fields’ frustration. Following a 41-17 win over South Carolina, in the second game of the season, Fields used profanity to lament his role while walking off the field. At issue was Fields being used only to hand off the football.
If Fields does depart from the team, Fromm will be the team’s only scholarship quarterback. Behind Fromm is walk-on Matthew Downing. Georgia has a commitment from 2019 quarterback prospect John Rhys Plumlee.
With Fromm starting every game this season, Georgia repeated as SEC East champions and are 11-2 entering the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1 against Texas. Fromm threw for 27 touchdowns compared with only five interceptions. Fromm will return to Georgia next season for his junior year, but he could decide to forgo his senior season for the NFL draft. This is the second consecutive season that a 5-star quarterback has transferred from Georgia. Jacob Eason transferred from Georgia to Washington and sat out this season.
