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Georgia football: Breaking down the Justin Fields aftermath

By Alistair Penny

ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 01: Justin Fields #1 of the Georgia Bulldogs runs with the ball in the first half against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the 2018 SEC Championship Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 1, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 01: Justin Fields #1 of the Georgia Bulldogs runs with the ball in the first half against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the 2018 SEC Championship Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 1, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images
Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images /

Fields and Ohio State is not the ‘magic fit’ some seem to think

Speaking of fits, I think it’s worth pointing out that the fit between OSU and Fields might not be as good as many in the media seem to think. Justin Fields is an amazing talent. Ryan Day is a good offensive coordinator. Ohio State has a lot of good players. All of those three things are true, but there are uncertainties that many seem to be conveniently overlooking.

This is not a slam dunk. Urban Meyer is gone and we have no idea how good of a head coach Day will be. We also know that the former 5-star QB Tate Martell who has been patiently waiting in the wings, is furious about this move. It’s a huge slap in the face after he stuck around and supported the team after losing the job to the NFL bound Dwayne Haskins. Martell is very popular in the locker room and so this isn’t going to be welcomed by everyone.

When it comes to Fields, I do think that this transfer does take some of the shine off him as a player. His play this year was at times good, but he’s clearly not better than Jake Fromm right now and has a long way to go to be the player that people expect. He’s still got all the talent in the world, but he wasn’t prepared to stick by his team and fight for the QB job. At a position where intangibles are so important, that’s an issue. That’s especially true as he heads to a school with a talented QB of their own who believes that he’s getting the job.

And last but not least, we have the fan base. If there is one thing Fields did, it was divide UGA’s fans like no other even though that wasn’t his fault. Fans who want instant success are drawn to players that the media hype up as much as Fields. He’s not even officially transferred and we can already see the same thing happening at OSU. Some are already screaming for Martell to get the hell out of town and make way for the shiny new object. After the last 4 months, Dawg fans can tell you, that this is not a healthy environment for a team to be in.

Look, Fields and OSU might be the perfect fit. Maybe he wins a Heisman and a Natty and if he does then good for him, he’s still a Georgia boy after all and I wish him the best. But this signing is not a slam dunk by any means for Fields or the school. Anyone who says that it is could end up with some serious egg on their face in a year.

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