In case you have been hiding out with the groundhogs in February, Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields was granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA Friday.
This is obviously huge news, and likely a major sigh of relief by head coach Ryan Day and staff. The Buckeyes had seemed to put all their eggs in the Fields’ sweepstakes basket, with the 2019 season largely dependent on if he was able to play or not.
But what does it all mean?
Well, first and foremost, Fields becomes the immediate favorite to take the reigns as the starter in Columbus. Sure, there’ll be a highly anticipated competition with Matthew Baldwin for the starting spot, but the tools and abilities the former five-star recruit brings to the field might be the best of any quarterback that’s run through the tunnel in Columbus.
It also means that as long as Fields is as good as advertised, the 2019 version of the Buckeyes should be a conference and national-title contender immediately. There is already a deep stable of skill position players available, and the defense should be much better with the coaching changes and personnel that’s back.
It’s not like the expectations are ever any less in Columbus, but losing Dwayne Haskins to the NFL would have at least been a significant hit that would have to be dealt with. Now Ryan Day has presumably has the next guy in line. The quarterbacks have had a significant part in the success at Ohio State, and that looks to continue.
Also, running back J.K. Dobbins has to be licking his chops. With the early departure of Mike Weber to the NFL, he’s now going to be the featured back, and having a QB with the talents of Fields should keep defenses honest against the running game and open things up for him.
Fields won’t be J.T. Barrett, and he won’t be Dwayne Haskins, but you can bet it’ll be somewhere in-between with the use of both his big arm and dynamic running ability.
Lastly, the whole state of Michigan is probably weeping right now.
Yep, things just got a lot more exciting in Columbus.
