Ohio State Buckeyes: Justin Fields announces NFL Draft decision

“It has been the honor of my life to wear the Scarlet and Gray and represent The Ohio State University,” he wrote in a social media post.

Fields was named the Big Ten’s top quarterback and offensive player both of his seasons at Ohio State. He also won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football this season after leading the Buckeyes to a second consecutive Big Ten championship and College Football Playoff berth.

A five-star recruit in the class of 2018, he has long been considered a candidate to be three-and-done at the college level.

“Growing up, my dream was to one day pay the game I love at the highest level,” Fields wrote. “Now thanks to God’s grace and mercy, along with the help of all of you, I am in a position to turn that dream into reality.”

After serving as the backup quarterback at Georgia his freshman year, he transferred to Ohio State and won the starting job in 2019.

At Ohio State, he completed 396 of 579 passes for 5,373 yards with 63 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

He also ran for 867 yards and 15 touchdowns.

“My path to The Ohio State University was not a direct one, but I could not have asked for a better final decision,” Fields wrote. “I could not have asked for a better final destination. I knew this was a special place the moment I stepped on campus. I was overwhelmed not only by the way the football team welcomed me but the student body and the city of Columbus a a whole.”

Fields is the third Ohio State junior (via traditional eligibility) to declare for the draft, following All-America cornerback Shaun Wade and All-Big Ten center Josh Myers.

Running back Trey Sermon, who came to Ohio State as a graduate transfer from Oklahoma last year, also announced his entering the draft rather than take advantage of an NCAA decision to give everyone an extra year of eligibility because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Players who have used less than four years of eligibility must declare this week, but players who have used four have until March 1 to inform the league if they intend to forego the 2021 draft or stay in school.

Ohio State left tackle Thayer Munford announced last week he has opted to take the extra year.

Without Fields, Ohio State is likely to have a freshman starter at quarterback in 2021.

C.J. Stroud and Jack Miller III of the 2020 class are expected compete with 2021 early enrollee Kyle McCord this spring and preseason.

Fields hopes to be the second Ohio State quarterback drafted in the first round in the past three years, joining Dwayne Haskins Jr.

Prior to Haskins, the last Ohio State QB taken in the first round was Art Schlichter in 1982, and the most-recent Big Ten first-round QB was Kerry Collins of Penn State in 1995.

“Justin has been unbelievable,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said after the Buckeyes lost to Alabama in the National Championship Game last week, a game Fields played with a hip injury suffered in a Sugar Bowl win over Clemson.

“He’s as competitively tough a player as I’ve been around,” Day said. “For him to go out there and play today really shows his toughness and how much he loves his brothers; he still took some shots on that hip. He was not 100 percent tonight. He was working through it and made some really good throws, made some gutsy plays, kept us in the game there for a while, but he’s an unbelievable player, and I’m going to miss him.