Revisiting Justin Fields' Decision to Transfer From Georgia to Ohio State

In January of 2019, the Georgia Bulldogs lost their QB of the future in former No. 1 overall recruit Justin Fields, who opted instead to transfer to Ohio State.

Said decision has turned out well for Fields, who thankfully is the real winner in this scenario. But have both sides benefited from his choice?

Kirby Smart failed to find much use for Fields other than rare trick plays and special formations in 2018. This, plus the likelihood of having to sit behind Jake Fromm in 2019 led Fields to find a way out of Athens. While it looked like the right decision at the time, we cannot deny that Georgia let a Heisman candidate walk out the door.

Fromm's leadership was essential in the 2018 campaign, and there was no real chance the Dawgs were going to move on from him, leaving Fields to sit on the bench. Fromm and Georgia won the Sugar Bowl this past season, narrowly missing out on the CFP. In his first season leading the way in Columbus, Fields and Ryan Day took Clemson to the final few minutes, but ultimately fell short of their ultimate goal.

One more year with the Buckeyes should be enough to terrify the rest of the Big Ten. The fate of Smart's choice to role with Fromm won't fully be felt until we see if Jamie Newman, now tabbed to start in Athens, is able to succeed in the Georgia offense.