It was only a matter of time. After being the most impressive quarterback throughout both spring and summer, Justin Fields has been named Ohio State’s starting quarterback coming into the 2019 season. Day strongly hinted that Fields would be the Buckeyes’ starter over the weekend, and he made it official on Monday.
Justin Fields is officially Ohio State's QB1 https://t.co/6SbmP4AJrv
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) August 19, 2019
Fields has been Ohio State’s presumptive starting quarterback throughout the offseason. Fields originally signed with Georgia out of high school as a member of the Class of 2018, but he only saw back-up duty for the Bulldogs. He announced his intention to transfer after the SEC Championship Game, and he made it official by signing with Ohio State in early January.
That move led to Tate Martell announcing that he was entering the transfer portal, paving the way for Fields to be the starter. His final hurdle was cleared in February, when the NCAA announced that his waiver to become immediately eligible had been granted.
Fields was a five-star prospect out of high school, and he is considered one of the more polished prospects we’ve seen in recent years. He reportedly pushed Jake Fromm for the starting job as a true freshman at Georgia in 2018, and some scouting services rated him as a better prospect than Trevor Lawrence.
Day should immediately make Fields one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in the Big Ten. Ohio State has more blue chip recruits than any other school in the nation according to SB Nation’s Bud Elliott, and Fields has the talent to thrive in this offense.
To win the job, Fields had to beat out two graduate transfers. Gunnar Hoak and Chris Chugunov transferred in from Kentucky and West Virginia to give Fields competition, but they were unable to wrest the starting job from him.
Ohio State will open its season on August 31 in Columbus against Florida Atlantic.
