11:03 AM ET
-
Chris LowESPN Senior Staff Writer
- College football reporter
- Joined ESPN.com in 2007
- Graduate of the University of Tennessee
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State coach Ryan Day named Justin Fields as the Buckeyes’ starting quarterback on Monday.
Fields, who played last season at Georgia before electing to transfer and gaining a waiver from the NCAA to be eligible to play right away, beat out graduate transfers Gunnar Hoak and Chris Chugunov for the job. Day said last week that Fields was having some of his best practices.
A 6-foot-3, 223-pound sophomore, Fields was used more as a runner than a passer at Georgia, but Day and first-year passing game coordinator Mike Yurcich want to broaden Fields’ role as the Buckeyes’ quarterback.
Fields was a five-star prospect coming out of high school in Kennesaw, Georgia, and was ESPN’s No. 1-ranked overall prospect nationally in the 2018 signing class. Fields was Jake Fromm’s backup last season at Georgia and entered the transfer portal following the SEC championship game.
Ohio State opens the season on Aug. 31 at home against Florida Atlantic.
