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Confirmation: Ryan Day, Justin Fields hint at QB declaring for 2021 NFL Draft in postgame presser
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It sounds as though we’re getting confirmation as to what we already knew. Justin Fields’ career with Ohio State is coming to a close.
Monday night, the Buckeyes fell hard to Alabama in the national championship, suffering a 52-24 defeat to end the season with a 7-1 record and coming up one game short of bringing a title back to Columbus. And after the game, Day appeared to confirm that Fields’ career with the Buckeyes ended when the clock hit zero at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
“Justin’s been unbelievable,” Day said after the game. “He’s as competitively tough of a player as I’ve been around.
“He’s an unbelievable player. I’m going to miss him.”
Ryan Day on Justin Fields: "Justin's been unbelievable. He's as competitively tough of a player as I've been around."
Day says Fields was "not 100 percent tonight" and noted he took some shots to his hip.
"He's an unbelievable player. I'm going to miss him."
— Colin Hass-Hill (@chasshill) January 12, 2021
Shortly after Day spoke with the media, Fields took a few minutes to talk with reporters. His message wasn’t much different than Day’s, also suggesting he’s declaring for the 2021 NFL Draft.
“Definitely wanted a different outcome,” Fields said. “I’m going to miss everybody.”
Justin Fields: "Definitely wanted a different outcome. I'm going to miss everybody."
On his injury: "At the end of the day, I was able to play, and I didn't get the job done." He says he "could have been healthier" but was "healthy enough."
— Colin Hass-Hill (@chasshill) January 12, 2021
That would seem to indicate that Fields will declare for the 2021 NFL Draft. That’s not a surprising decision, as he’s considered one of the top quarterbacks in college football. He’s likely to be a Top 10 pick later this spring, as well.
Fields didn’t end the year the way he would’ve hoped. He completed 17-of-33 passes for 194 yards and 1 touchdown in the loss, while also accounting for 67 yards on 6 carries.
Fields will leave Ohio State after spending two seasons as the team’s starting quarterback. He was 20-2 as the starter, appearing in the College Football Playoff each season.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB