Ad Disclosure
The first Friday of the offseason couldn’t have been a better one for Ohio State.
Former 5-star recruit and Georgia quarterback Justin Fields is reportedly transferring to Columbus, according to Letterman Row. Fields will reportedly head to Columbus this weekend and move in at the resumption of classes after winter break.
While this has been rumored since almost immediately after reports surfaced that Fields was leaving, this certainly brings it all together.
Here were my 5 thoughts from the big news out of Columbus.
1. I’m so here for Justin Fields vs. Tate Martell
Woooooooooo boy. If you thought the 2015 quarterback battle in Columbus was good, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. I say that because all signs point to Martell being a not-so-welcome guest to the new addition to the quarterback room.
This is some LeBron James-level subtweeting:
https://twitter.com/TheTateMartell/status/1076325309551599617
And when Martell was asked if he’d leave Ohio State if Fields transferred to Columbus, the redshirt freshman said “no chance.”
I’m here for the not-so-politically correct Martell having a chip on his shoulder and treating this like an all-out war. Let’s be honest. That’s way more entertaining than what we usually get from quarterback battles like these.
Something tells me that this is far from the last time we’re going to see Martell have some interesting comments about Fields while this battle unfolds.
Here’s the thing, though. We still don’t know if Fields is going to be eligible to play immediately in 2018, though the expectation is that he’ll have a legitimate case for a hardship waiver because of the racist comment directed at him from a Georgia baseball player that resulted in him getting kicked off the team.
But whether he’s eligible or not, Fields is going to battle with Martell all offseason, and it’s going to be great theater.
2. Goodbye, Dwayne Haskins
Fields was waiting to announce his plans to Ohio State until Haskins made an NFL decision. As of this writing, that hasn’t happened yet. All we know is that Haskins said after the Rose Bowl that he was 50-50.
There was a report that Haskins asked Ohio State running back Mike Weber to stick around 1 more year. Whether there was legitimacy to what that meant for Haskins wanting to stay in Columbus now looks like a moot point.
Conventional wisdom suggests that Fields wouldn’t be going to Ohio State if he thought Haskins was sticking in Columbus for another year. Fields wants to play immediately, and while that isn’t a certainty to happen, the likelihood of him going to a place with a Heisman finalist who sticks around doesn’t seem favorable.
Haskins will go down as one of the great 1-year starters we’ve had in the 21st century. And perhaps even more importantly, it looks like he’ll go down as the player who ended the B1G’s 23-year drought without a first-round quarterback.
3. Don’t look too far into Fields’ 2018 numbers
Here’s the thing. If you’re someone who doesn’t really buy into recruiting rankings and all of that, you’re not really going to be impressed by what Fields did in 2018:
- 27-39, 328 yards
- 8.4 yards per attempt
- 4 TDs, 0 INTs
- 42 rushes, 266 yards
- 4 TDs
You might be saying to yourself what my wife did when she heard about Fields transferring. That is, what’s the big deal? Why are people freaking out about someone who couldn’t crack the starting lineup?
Part of it is definitely the recruiting rankings. Fields was the No. 2 overall recruit in the 2018 class, behind only Trevor Lawrence, who’s playing for a national championship on Monday night. But Fields got that ranking because of how versatile he was. Trent Dilfer said that Fields and Lawrence were way more developed than they ever thought possible when they were at Elite 11.
Why is that significant? Because like Ohio State did with Martell, Georgia used Fields to spark the running game. The throwing attempts were few and far between. He was a backup. And even when Fields did get to throw, it’s not always easy for a quarterback to get into any rhythm when his non-garbage time snaps are random and limited.
If you thought Martell rarely passed, consider that Fields averaged 1 more pass attempt per game. That was just Georgia’s way of trying to ease him in (much to his chagrin). The dude can throw.
Justin Fields has A CANNON! That’s a 57yrd TD throw to Mecole Hardman! #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/wGgxeaCS3F
— dawgpost (@DawgPost_) November 18, 2018
Fields has this thing that Dilfer phrased as “extreme physical confidence.” It really rivals what Cam Newton often does in the pocket. Fields can have an edge-rusher coming straight at his face and you’d think just by looking at him that he’d have no idea, yet he’d still find a way to avoid the sack, keep his eyes downfield and either scramble with his legs or make a play with his arm. I don’t think you can teach that.
Ohio State fans will be incredibly impressed when they see Fields throw because it won’t reflect his 2018 numbers at all.
4. What a key first chapter to the Ryan Day era
It might’ve been a tough pill for Ohio State fans to swallow when they watched the program sign the majority of what looks like will be its lowest-rated recruiting class since Urban Meyer arrived in Columbus. But Fields obviously has the potential to outweigh all of that.
Meyer never even landed a quarterback recruit who rated as high as Fields. Now Day is going to have one in his first year as the head coach.
Yes, recruiting rankings are a thing of the past when it comes to evaluating Fields’ future. But from what we saw from Haskins in Day’s system, there’s plenty of reason to believe that highly-touted quarterbacks like Fields are going to line up to play for him.
Not that Ohio State was lacking in talented quarterbacks before, though I’d argue Haskins having the best season in Buckeye history will certainly boost recruiting that position in a different way for Day.
5. Ohio State will still be the B1G favorite
I thought that the Buckeyes were going to be somewhat neck and neck with Michigan for that title. Fair or not, the Wolverines returning Shea Patterson will impact how much hype they generate this preseason.
But now with Fields in the fold, Ohio State will definitely be the preseason B1G favorite. That’s assuming he’s eligible immediately and healthy.
I guess that’s my way of saying that I’d be surprised if Fields wasn’t Ohio State’s opening day starter. Do I think Martell is going to make this a legitimate down-to-the-wire battle? Absolutely. But Day went out and got Fields while Martell wasn’t a guy he recruited to come to Ohio State. Martell can throw, but Fields seems like a more natural fit in Day’s system, which definitely emphasizes the passing game more than we’re used to seeing in Columbus.
Fields is about to be on the cover of a bunch of preseason magazines as arguably the most intriguing story of 2019.
Let the hype begin.
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Tradition. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.