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Tim Tebow praises growth of Justin Fields, discusses where he stands vs Trevor Lawrence in race for Heisman
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College football legend Tim Tebow said on ESPN’s First Take that the only thing keeping Justin Fields behind Trevor Lawrence in the contest for the Heisman Trophy has been out of the Buckeyes’ quarterback’s hands—the number of games Fields has been able to compete in.
“What’s disappointing to me right now is if he had more games, I think he’d be No. 1 on my board for the Heisman. If you just took the top three games of everyone, it’s hard to say anyone has had three better games than Justin Fields,” said Tebow, the 2007 Heisman winner, and 2008 third-place finisher.
In the Buckeyes first three games, Fields, a junior, has been almost perfect, completing 87-percent of his throws for 908 yards and 11 touchdowns. At 72 completions in 83 attempts on the season, he has the same number of touchdowns as he does incomplete passes and no interceptions. Field’s quarterback rating is a superlative 222.38 while averaging 302 yards a game.
Tebow, the former Florida Gator, compared Fields—last year’s third-place finisher—to Clemson’s sensational Trevor Lawrence, who led the 2018 Clemson Tigers to a national championship and took them back to the national championship game last season, where the Tigers fell to the LSU Tigers.
“I do think it’s close, I think it’s really close. I think Justin has taken strides every year…when he got with coach Day at Ohio State; he’s learning, he’s learning, he’s learning, he’s growing. I mean he’s barely missed any passes in their three games, he’s playing at an elite level. That’s how good he’s been this year. I don’t have him far below Trevor Lawrence. I have them neck-and-neck,” said Tebow.
Clemson’s Lawrence has had playing problems of his own after being forced to sit out two games as a consequence of the strict Covid-19 protocols in place across the country. Through six games, still double the number Fields has played in, Lawrence is completing 71-percent of his passes for 1,833 yards and 17 touchdowns against zero interceptions. He’s averaging 305 yards per game and has a 178.57 quarterback rating of his own.
Tebow said the differences between the two stars were minor.
“I think Justin Fields is a little bit more of an elite athlete, I think he’s stronger, way more physical than people give him credit for, and he’s improving as a passer,” explained Tebow. “Down the field he’s accurate, he’s been consistent with possession passes, he’s been doing good in the pocket. The one area I’d like to see him improve is when he gets blitzes to throw hot just a little bit more, but this kid is unreal. If he had more games, he’d be up there for the Heisman.”
Third-ranked Ohio State is playing its first top ten game of the season this Saturday in Columbus against the Indiana Hoosiers. The game kicks off at noon EST on FOX.
Mark Schipper is a reporter, sportswriter, and aspiring novelist living in Chicago, Illinois.