It took Justin Fields just one season to realize that Georgia wasn’t going to be a good fit. After sitting behind Jake Fromm for one year, the Kennesaw native decided to transfer to Ohio State, where he thought he’d get a better chance to get on the field right away.

On a recent episode of the All Things Covered podcast, UGA head coach Kirby Smart revealed that Trevor Lawrence’s success as a freshman at Clemson influenced Fields. And, ultimately, led to the quarterback’s decision to leave Athens for Columbus.

Sports Betting in Big Ten Country

Sports betting in Ohio is officially launching on January 1, 2023.

Pre-registration is now available at FanDuel Ohio for an extra $100 bonus. Take advantage now.

21+ and present in OH. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Here’s what Smart said, via via DawgNation:

“It was very evident to us early on in the year that as Trevor had success, and began to play, and in the Texas A&M game (second of the season) he got in and played more and more, Justin felt the same way that, ‘Hey, I’m as good as him, and I should get an opportunity to play,’ ” Smart said.

“And at the time, we had Jake Fromm, who was playing pretty well.”

Smart admits that the transfer to Ohio State has benefited Fields, who has become a superstar with the Buckeyes:

“You can’t say it (transfer) hasn’t benefited him, because he got to go to a really good program, and he got to play right away, and he’s played a lot more football because he chose to go there,” Smart said. “So you can’t say that it was wrong or right, but I would say what you said earlier, the accountability factor and guys sticking it out, sometimes it pays off to do that. Especially at other positions.”

The transfer to Ohio State has worked out well for both Fields and the Buckeyes. Ohio State has lost just one game over the last two seasons with Fields as the starter, and the QB has a chance to lead his team to a national championship on Monday night.