Justin Fields interested in transferring to Ohio State

“Sources told ESPN on Wednesday that Fields is interested in transferring to Ohio State, as star quarterback Dwayne Haskins is expected to enter April’s NFL draft.”

- Mark Schlabach, ESPN

Georgia coach Kirby Smart acknowledged on Wednesday that 2018’s No. 1 prospect Justin Fields is exploring his options for transferring to another school, with sources telling ESPN that Ohio State is one of his top destinations, also listing Florida State and Oklahoma as potential landing spots. Smart said the freshman QB will still be with the team for their Allstate Sugar Bowl matchup against Texas.

Ohio State is intriguing to the young QB out of Kennesaw, Georgia, as Dwayne Haskins is expected to enter the NFL Draft in April. Fields would likely beat out Tate Martell for the Buckeyes’ starting spot, whereas if he remained with the Bulldogs, he would be firmly entrenched as Jake Fromm’s backup. Should he apply for a hardship waiver from the NCAA, he would be eligible to play in 2019.

In the wake of the news, Georgia was able to flip QB Dwan Mathis away from Ohio State during Wednesday’s early signing period, leaving the Buckeyes with a bit of a hole at the most important offensive position. Fields is an extremely highly touted QB that would bring a whole new level to an Ohio State offense that will lose Haskins and a bunch of wide receiver talent. Used mainly in garbage time, Fields completed 27 of 39 passes for 328 yards with four TDs and no picks this season.

“Harrison’s commitment on Day 1 of the early signing period reminds us all that OSU, with or without Urban Meyer, can win the biggest Midwest recruiting battles with its Big Ten neighbors.”

- Ross Dellenger, Sports Illustrated

With many worrying about the state of OSU recruiting with the departure of Urban Meyer, Ryan Day was able to put a stop to any doubts as he was able to reel in five-star defensive end Zach Harrison. Harrison, the No. 1 recruit in the state of Ohio and No. 1 defensive end in the country, was originally believed to be leaning toward Michigan before his swing back to Ohio State and his eventual signing yesterday.

It was an overall positive Early Signing Period for Day in his first go around, nabbing Harrison as well as two more five-star recruits in receiver Garrett Wilson and offensive lineman Harry Miller. Overall, the Buckeyes racked up 15 signings on Wednesday as they currently hold the 12th ranked class in the country and third in the Big Ten.

It was not all sunshine and rainbows, however, as they did lose a pair of guys in Jordan Battle and the aforementioned Mathis. Battle, a four-star defensive back, had been hinting at a flip to Alabama for a while. Mathis, on the other hand, was Ohio State’s lone recruit in the 2019 class, and flipped as a result of Fields’ transfer opening up a spot for him at Georgia.

Ohio State put out a very cool video to announce all of their early signees, using the NCAA Football video game to show their new players in action. The video includes highlight reel plays from their big names like Wilson and Harrison, as well as four-star linebacker Tommy Eichenberg and four-star RB Steele Chambers, among others.

The video ends with Urban Meyer “passing the sticks” to Ryan Day in a nod to the coaching change. Day asks Meyer how it’s going, and Meyer responds that things are looking good, followed by Meyer passing Day the controller and telling him “it’s your turn.” An excited Day responds “thanks, coach,” and Meyer gets up and leaves Day to finish the job in another excellent piece of work from OSU’s social media team.

Around Campus

Women’s Basketball

Ohio State lost their opener in the West Palm Beach Invitational on Thursday, falling 66-53 to Butler. Carly Santoro led the Buckeyes with 14 points and five boards, while Makayla Waterman added 10 points and a career-high four blocks. OSU will continue the tournament on Friday when they take on Virginia Tech at 12:15.

Women’s Hockey

OSU senior defenseman Lauren Boyle was selected by the Minnesota Whitecaps in the 2018 National Women's Hockey League Draft. Boyle has a career 59 points on 15 goals and 44 assists for the Buckeyes. Boyle scored the game winning goal against Boston College in the 2018 NCAA quarterfinal matchup that sent Ohio State to their first Frozen Four in program history.

Men’s Basketball

No. 15 Ohio State will travel to Chicago’s United Center to take on UCLA on Saturday. The Bruins are 7-4 on the season, coming off a 93-64 blowout loss to Cincinnati on Wednesday, whom the Buckeyes beat earlier in the year. UCLA is 3-1 against Ohio State all-time in games played at a neutral site, while the Buckeyes are 39-38 all-time against current Pac-12 teams.

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