Justin Fields officially named starting quarterback

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ryan Day announced something today that many people have been assuming since early January: Justin Fields will start at quarterback for Ohio State. It may have taken longer than people had hoped for but Day had a plan in place and stuck to it as he waited for the Buckeyes to get through two scrimmages in training camp before making a public decision known.

The UGA transfer was able to beat out Chris Chugunov and Gunnar Hoak for the position.

“I think all quarterbacks have done a good job this camp,” Day said. “I met with those guys and told them all that really means is Justin will be taking the first snap on Saturday. Where it goes from there, who knows.”

Day made sure to echo Ohio State’s history of needing three quarterbacks to win the national championship during the 2014 season, but the plan initially is to give the reins to Justin Fields.

He did note that production at the position will determine if a change needs to be made down the road, but Day said he doesn’t want to think negatively.

“When you name a starter, you're trying not to think about those things,” Day said. “You're trying to think about playing with confidence, being productive, try to think positively that way.”

Fields announced his intention to transfer to Ohio State from Georgia on January 4. In his freshman year, the Georgia native appeared in 12 games.

He held the backup role behind Jake Fromm, who finished the season with 30 passing touchdowns and six interceptions. Georgia would finish the season with a record of 11-3.

Fields tallied four touchdowns through the air and four on the ground in his only season with the Bulldogs. The five-star recruit was named to the coaches freshman All-SEC team.

Despite his limited playing time, Fields does have quality experiences under his belt. Day recalled seeing a rerun of the Auburn-Georgia game from last season, a game in which Fields played.

Although Fields has not truly had to run an offense yet in his career, the SEC environments he played in will definitely help him adjust to high-stress situations.

“That's very, very different than running a team, managing a team, operating a team. But the good news is he has played in those environments,” Day said. “Any time you've taken a snap in those environments, you've experienced what it means to play in big-time college football and atmosphere.”

Day emphasized the intangibles that are crucial to successfully running an offense and said that he sees a confidence in Fields to execute.

“I've seen that with Justin, I've seen him take control, challenge guys, seen him put his arm around guys. I've kind of seen those different qualities about him,” Day said.

For Fields, he has seen growth in the procedural parts of his game due to his increased knowledge of the playbook.

“Just all aspects of the game,” Fields said on his improvement. “Just staying in the pocket, going through the reads quicker and getting the playbook down.”

He expressed that knowing the playbook has given him the ability to play faster and with more confidence.

Day has noticed an improvement in Fields’s play recently. He noted that in the most recent scrimmage, Fields was one of the players who graded out champion.

“You can see when the guys are around in the huddle, there's a confidence about him, moving the ball down the field, completion percentages at a certain point,” Day said. “That's how you earn a starting job.”

Beyond the fundamentals and leadership, Fields possesses a rare gift to make elite plays with his legs. A player who has become familiar with Fields’s elite athleticism is captain Chase Young.

“Watch out,” Young said on Fields’s mobility. “He’s done it a few times. Especially when we go situation defense, he will take the ball down the line.”

He will be filling the shoes of Heisman finalist Dwayne Haskins, who set Big Ten records in total yards and touchdowns in a season. Haskins would lead the Buckeyes to a Big Ten championship and a victory in the Rose Bowl.

The Buckeyes would finish the season with a 13-1 record, and Haskins would finish the season with 50 passing touchdowns and 4,831 yards through the air.

Fields will begin building his resumé with Ohio State when they host Florida Atlantic on August 31.

“Some people have the potential to be great, and they just don’t take advantage of it,” Fields said on his potential. “I think if you just do what you need to do and be disciplined and do the things you don’t like to do, you eventually will get where you want to go.”