Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields is heading to the NFL Draft after two seasons with the Buckeyes, he announced Monday.
Fields made the announcement on Twitter, writing: “My trip to Ohio State University was not a direct one, but I could not have asked for a better final destination.”
Fields played his first year in Georgia before moving to Ohio in January 2019. He soon received a waiver to be immediately eligible for the 2019 season, in which he set record numbers for champion Big Ten Buckeyes and a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. ranks Fields third overall in the 2021 draft, behind Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Oregon offensive striker Pena Sewell. In two seasons at Ohio State, Fields had 5,373 yards with 63 touchdowns and nine interceptions to go along with 867 yards and 15 touchdowns. Fields is set to become Ohio’s second state defender, projected in the first round in three seasons, after the school had none of Art Schlichter in 1982 and Dwayne Haskins in 2019.
Fields in 2019 became the first Big Ten player with 40 passing touchdowns and 10 heavy touchdowns in a season, winning the league’s Offensive Player of the Year award. He led the nation in the interception touchdown ratio (41-3) and won MVP honors in the Big Ten championship game against Wisconsin.
Behind the fields, Ohio won two Big Ten titles and competed in the CFP for the first time in a row, falling to Clemson and Lawrence in the 2019 semifinals, before defeating Clemson this year and falling to Alabama in the game for the national title on January 11th. a thumb injury thrown in the Big Ten championship game and a massive blow to his rib area in the semifinal victory over Clemson.
Fields, 21, was the No. 1 ESPN general recruit in the 2018 class, one place ahead of Lawrence, a native of Georgia. He played easily behind Jake Fromm during the 2018 season in Georgia, passing 328 meters and four touchdowns.