Want a daily lap through Georgia football recruiting? That’s what the Intel will bring at least five days a week. We’ll cover the news and what a 5-star prospect such as Justin Fields is thinking right now, plus add some perspective to help fans figure out what it all means.
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Justin Fields took over the final day of The Opening on Monday. When it was over, he needed to take a shower.
That victory bath after winning the Elite 11 MVP and The Opening’s 7-on-7 championship had something to do with it. The 5-star quarterback prospect has had a busy summer.
He’s been to California and Oregon on trips that were about a month apart. Fields took unofficial visits to Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State and Georgia.
The Harrison High (Kennesaw, Ga.) standout even took part in a 7-on-7 tournament at IMG Academy and another Perfect Game baseball showcase, where he likely didn’t walk off the field into a wave of reporters.
His arm never failed him. Neither did a sharp analytical mind for the position, which the head sherpa of the Elite 11 coaching staff noticed.
There was also a trip to Indiana for the Rivals 5-Star Challenge.
“The Rivals 5-Star Challenge was kind of, I guess, a warm-up for this,” Fields said after The Opening. “So I wasn’t surprised by all the talent.”
In the middle of all that last week, the 5-star QB even found some time to do a little dance. He was a bit miffed when the track ended too soon; he wanted to keep going.
His recruiting isn’t going to end that abruptly. At least for a little bit. Fields will be in charge of when that beat stops.
The Justin Fields questions on every school’s mind right now
We touched on how Fields felt about silent commitments yesterday in the blog. But that’s not the only thing on every Georgia or Alabama or Auburn or Florida or Florida State fan’s mind now.
What’s next for Fields? DawgNation asked. He answered.
Q: UGA is actively recruiting a pair of 5-star QBs that had their moments at The Opening. That would be you and Matt Corral. How does that complicate your interest in Georgia? What happens if he wants to commit before you are ready?
A. “I’m not worried about that. I mean, if he commits to UGA, then that is not my place.
Q: Do you think that UGA will wait on you to make your decision?
A. “I’m not sure.”
Q. Do you feel that Georgia would let you know before they accept a commitment from Corral? Maybe just something like a heads-up before they would take his commitment to the class? What do you think about that?
A. “I feel like Georgia has always been very honest with me. They tell me when they are about to offer a kid. Hopefully, I’ve got that kind of a relationship with the coaches there that they will do that.”
Q. Where did you see yourself going to college before all of this recruiting and this decision of yours became such a business decision for you?
A. “You mean before all of this happened? Mercer. A school like that. Mercer or Furman. Somewhere. I just didn’t think I was good enough for the bigger schools.”
Q. You’ve grown up in Georgia. I think I’ve seen a few pro-Georgia images from your family on social media. What are their thoughts on all of this? Do you think you know what your parents want you to do? Have they expressed that at all?
A. “Yeah. I think my parents do. They kind of have an idea where they want me to go.”
Q. Can you share that? Or is that a zipped-up lips emoji icon on that question?
A. “Yeah, that’s a zipped-up lip emoji.”
Q. What about your sister? (His sister Jaiden is committed to play softball at UGA in the Class of 2019.)
A. “My sister just wants me to be happy. She doesn’t try to convince me to go to Georgia. She would like me to go to Georgia but she does not necessarily try to get me to go to Georgia, and she just wants me to be happy wherever I go.”
Q. I want to refer back to you when you felt you would never be this good. This weekend is the dividend. The payoff. Can you describe how hard you’ve busted your tail to be able to play this well? Where did this talent spike come from?
A. “I think just really working hard and putting it all on God. This workout and what I did here [at The Opening] was nothing on me here. It was all from God. I give all the glory to God for allowing to do what I did here.”
Q. You have an opportunity at all of these great schools. Alabama. Auburn. Florida. Florida State. Is all of this stressful?
A. “No. Not really. I’m just taking it all day by day. It is not stressful.”
Q. Is there any way all of this (recruiting ) goes on until October? When will the decision likely drop?
A. “This will mainly come when based on whatever I feel. When I feel ready.”
Q. You’ve said in the past that you want to take all five of your official visits. Will those come before your decision? What are you currently thinking about that?
A. “I do want to take all five of my officials. So just because I commit doesn’t mean I will not take my five officials. This is just really when I feel good about my whole process and about that one school is when I will make my decision.”
Fields said he still plans to visit UGA on July 15. The current expectation is that he will stay overnight for one night.