Blue White Illustrated

Q uarterback Justin Fields of Kennesaw, Ga., was among the Class of 2018 prospects on hand for Penn State's game against Iowa. A four-star player and arguably Penn State's top quarterback target in next year's class, Fields made the trip earlier this season for the game against Kent State. At the time, it was expected to be his second and 6nal visit to University Park, as he was originally planning to de- cide later this season. However, following visits to a handful of schools – Auburn, Louisville, North Carolina and Ten- nessee, among others – he has elected to wait until a9er the season. He's now planning to have a decision before the start of the new year. Fields made the decision to return to Penn State a9er seeing how the team per- formed in its 24-21 victory over Ohio State. "A9er watching that game, I knew PSU was going to be special in the upcoming years," he said. "For a team to have every- one doubting them against a top-ranked team, and for them to go out and handle business, that's something special. It shows you how much they really believe in each other and the way Coach [James] Franklin is coaching them." Leading up to the Iowa game, Fields said that he spent a lot of time getting to know some future Penn State players, speci6cally wide receivers Justin Shorter and Mac Hip- penhammer, o7ensive lineman Michael Miranda, quarterback Sean Cli7ord and linebacker Brailyn Franklin. "We just met and kind of got to know each other and hang out a little bit," he said. "It was nothing in particular." The scene in Beaver Stadium made a big impression, as the Nittany Lions packed 106,194 fans into the stadium for an un- o8cial White Out. "The atmosphere was amazing, as al- ways," Fields said. "The o7ense was de6- nitely clicking more than the 6rst time I came up, so I really saw improvement with Trace [McSorley] and the other guys. [They're] getting more comfortable in that new o7ense." Fields and his family stuck around Sun- day morning and stayed through the early a9ernoon. That provided them with an- other chance to see campus, as well as meet with the coaches. "We actually toured the campus and toured the facilities again," Fields said. "I was mainly just around the coaches and the players and also got around the cam- pus a little bit. I didn't see anything new, except the new hydrotherapy room, which was pretty cool. I met with pretty much every coach. Honestly, the excitement that the coaches had when seeing me was the thing that most stood out." Fields has kept most of the details sur- rounding his recruitment to himself, but many believe that Tennessee and Louisville are both in a good position, while Auburn and North Carolina could be two other programs to watch. Penn State is also 6rmly in the mix. "I don't really have rankings, but they're toward the top of my list of schools," Fields said of the Lions. "Their overall play has impacted me because it's showed me how much potential they have in the future." Fields is a member of the Rivals250, coming in at No. 249 overall. He's the ninth-ranked dual-threat quarterback and the No. 21 prospect in Georgia for the Class of 2018. ■ 2018 PROSPECT Fields is expected to make his decision in Decem- ber. Photo courtesy of Rivals.com Impressed with Lions' surge, four-star QB Fields returns |

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