Ohio State Buckeyes College Football Pregame Quote, 12/26/2019

When you were considering Ohio State, what were the things that appealed to you?

JUSTIN FIELDS: Coach Day, to have a relationship with him. Also talking with Dwayne [Haskins], he’s awesome. Really just kind of getting to know Coach Day.

The scheme part is quite a bit different than Georgia. Is that something that might be at another school – that took on a different value to you?

JUSTIN FIELDS: Georgia is probably more than we do here. I’m glad I did that because I got to learn both.

Since you walked on the field to now, the highs and lows you’ve gone through in the last year, how has it shaped you from then to now?

JUSTIN FIELDS: I think it has shaped me for the better, just kind of going through that, the highs and lows. That’s why I try to keep myself even-keeled. Don’t get too high and don’t get too low, because I think everything happens for a reason. So kind of facing that adversity and going through that, it helped me a lot as a person and just also as a player going through this. I don’t get rattled that much. So I think that’s made me a stronger person.

In that vein, what was the lowest low and the highest high in that span?

JUSTIN FIELDS: Of course, not playing was the lowest of lows. There were other things that were involved, because I think every football player wants to be out on the field trying to help his team win. Of course that was the lowest of lows. There were some other things involved.

In the highs was really just being there with my friends. I have a lot of friends still at Georgia. I still talk to them every day.

When did you feel like you belonged to Ohio State?

JUSTIN FIELDS: I kept getting more comfortable over time. It really wasn’t one set day. Just being around the guys and kind of being around them, I think I got more comfortable.

Does it feel better? You said it was 80, 85% yesterday.

JUSTIN FIELDS: I’m not going to talk about it today at all.

Justin, what stands out about Coach Day? If you were just explaining what it’s like to play for him and what stands out the most about him, what would you say?

JUSTIN FIELDS: I think Coach Day is very specific when it comes to details and stuff like that. When describing a play, Coach Day really puts all of the details into play. And I think it gives a player a better idea of what you need to do in that particular play. So kind of just doing that helps me out a lot. I think Coach Day off the field he’s a great guy, great family person. I think y’all took a video of the linemen stuff yesterday before practice. He was just playing around. He’s a loose guy. He loves to have fun and he’s just a great guy overall.

Is that a big reason you came to Ohio State, just seeing what he did with the offense last year?

JUSTIN FIELDS: Yeah, that was a big reason, and I thought I could excel in this offense. So just seeing the success that Dwayne [Haskins] had last year, I think that he knows how to kind of fix the offense to where his players’ strengths are. So, you know, if a player might pass the ball more, he might fix the offense to where there’s more passes or stuff like that. I think he does a great job with that.

Did you sit down with him and go through schemes or things like that in the recruiting process and talking to him?

JUSTIN FIELDS: No, not really, because it happened so fast. So I went in the Sugar Bowl last year with Georgia. And then I had to choose a school in, like, two weeks. So I was just really talking to the schools. I felt like Coach Day was the best coach for me and I felt like this team was the best option for me.

Did you know him at all?

JUSTIN FIELDS: He came to one of my practices in high school for recruiting, but at that time I was already committed to Georgia and not really looking anywhere else to go.

At what point did you realize you were good at baseball but like “This is my sport”?

JUSTIN FIELDS: I played baseball my whole life, really. I think the first year of me not playing baseball was my senior year, and that was when I was already at Georgia. So I might pick up baseball again. I haven’t decided that one yet, so we’ll see about that one.

But I think baseball helps a lot in the game of football, really just making those plays on the run, like shortstop. That’s what I played when I played baseball. I think fielding those ground balls and
throwing on the run at shortstop helped me a lot with throwing on the run.

The motion is different, Justin. If you have a baseball motion as a quarterback, that’s not necessarily a good thing. What was that evolution and how you had to change?

JUSTIN FIELDS: I stopped pitching around the age of 14 or 15. So I think that was a big difference in terms of, really, just motion in terms of throwing. So I try to kind of balance it out as best as I could and really just try to focus on one or the other depending on what season it was.

Are you happy, in a way, that you and Trevor [Lawrence] being here puts the spotlight on Ron [Veal] because he’s a guy who doesn’t self-promote?

JUSTIN FIELDS: I feel like he doesn’t get enough credit. He trains a lot of top quarterbacks around the country. So just actually seeing him getting the credit he deserves now, I’m glad for him.

The video of you in practice with the knee brace on, how is that changing anything for you? How do you have to adjust to that and keep your game going?

JUSTIN FIELDS: I don’t really have to adjust my game at all. It’s just there for safety reasons.

Will you be wearing it in the game?

JUSTIN FIELDS: Mm-hmm.

What stands out about Clemson’s defense? I’m sure there’s a lot of things that stand out, but what stands out the most?

JUSTIN FIELDS: Really just the way they use Isaiah Simmons. He’s a great all-around player, a great all-around linebacker. So the way they use him at safety sometimes, linebacker sometimes, he can play a multitude of positions. So the way they use him, but also the scheme that they have and the way that they disguise their coverages. They have a great defensive coordinator. So just all of that, I think those are the big things that stand out for Clemson.

How do you see yourself similar to your counterpart on the other side of the ball, Trevor Lawrence?

JUSTIN FIELDS: I think that me and Trevor have a similar game of throwing the ball. Of course, he’s taller than me. I think his legs, the way he can move around the pocket and things like that. Trevor is a great quarterback, great guy, great player. So I’m excited for this weekend.

How long have you known him?

JUSTIN FIELDS: I’ve known him probably since the beginning of high school, 9th, 10th grade, around there.

Has it dawned on you that you have known each other this long, this rivalry, if you will, could end up going to the combine and the draft and beyond. That’s kind of neat, two guys that close.

JUSTIN FIELDS: I really wouldn’t be surprised if it did. I think we’re both great quarterbacks and we both excel in our games. So I wouldn’t be surprised to see that. If we were at the combine at the same time, or something like that, because it happened in high school. Seeing that, I think that would be pretty cool to see.

There’s part of you, when it comes to rankings, you’ve had a rivalry and been chasing Trevor [Lawrence] a little bit. Is it fun to have an opportunity to sort of show now on a very even field that you’ve been working?

JUSTIN FIELDS: Yeah, it is fun, but, like you said, I’m really just focused on the team. And, really, whatever way, if I throw zero touchdowns, as long as we win the game, that’s all that matters.

Your coach said it is hard to win 28 straight games if you’re just competing against air. You know, just going out, playing against no one, it would be hard to win 28 straight. What impresses you the most about what Clemson has been able to do, winning that many games in a row?

JUSTIN FIELDS: Of course, Clemson has a lot of great athletes, a lot of great players and a bunch of great coaches. So it’s really not surprising to see them go out and win 28 straight. So, really, just going out there and just playing our game, I feel like we have a great chance against them. I think we both match up well.