There’s a new no. 1 player in the 2018 recruiting rankings
By Matt Green
On Monday, 247sports released their updated player rankings for the class of 2018, and there’s a new name at no. 1.
Justin Fields, from Harrison High School in Kennesaw, Ga., has been the no. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the nation on 247sports’ 2018 recruiting rankings for some time, and now he’s the no. 1 overall player.
Fields passed another Peach state standout, Trevor Lawrence, to take the top spot. The Clemson commit was considered by many to be the top quarterback in the country regardless of class when he was just a junior.
Lawerence is still no. 1 in the composite rankings, which is an average of all the different 2018 recruiting rankings. Fields is no. 4 in the composite rankings.
The boost is likely stemming from Fields’ performance at The Opening, where the 6’3, 221-pounder put on a show. He led his team to the championship while throwing 16 touchdowns to zero interceptions and completing 72 percent of his passes. And that’s not even counting what he can do with his legs.
According to maxpreps.com, in 12 games as junior last season, Fields threw for 2,770 yards (230.8 per game), 23 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions threw the air. And on the ground he ran for 1,176 (98.0) yards and 15 touchdowns.
While no one knows where Fields is going to playing his college ball next year, there’s a strong chance he ends up in the SEC.
The former Penn State commit is considering Georgia, Auburn, Florida, and Florida State, and will likely make a decision before the season starts.
Georgia
The Bulldogs have the obvious home-state advantage, and they run a pro-style offense, but that didn’t help them with Lawrence. Georgia is in an interesting position, because Matt Corral, the nation’s no. 2 pocket-passer quarterback, recently names the Bulldogs as his leader. Fields’ sister is also committed to Georgia to play softball.
Florida State
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Jimbo Fisher has a history with dual-threat quarterbacks with guys like James Winston and Deondre Francois. The Seminoles run a pro-style offense, which would prepare him for the next level.
Auburn
Auburn is the perfect offense for a guy like Fields. A mobile quarterback makes Gus Malzahn’s offense nearly impossible to defend, but it might not prepare him for the next level as well as a pro-style offense. Auburn is also the place where his favorite player went to college, Cam Newton.
Florida
Jim McElwain needs a quarterback to show what he can do as an offensive mind. There are rumors that Florida has had multiple four-star quarterbacks who wanted to commit, but they turned them down in preparation of getting Fields. The Gators also run a pro-style offense.
The current crystal ball predictions on 247sports.com have Florida State (46 percent), Florida (28 percent), Georgia (16 percent), Auburn (12 percent), and Penn State (4 percent).
Wherever he goes, people should expect big things from this guy for years to come.