Kennesaw, Ga. (Harrison High) - QB Justin Fields
The first stop on our Spring Recruiting Tour is the Atlanta area, where we check in on Harrison Hoyas gunslinger Justin Fields. Although he remains committed to Penn State, the Rivals250 quarterback is still receiving a lot of attention from Florida State and others schools who are trying to make a strong push.
The Seminoles offered a few weeks ago after a 7-on-7 tournament in Tallahassee. Following that solid performance, Fields took a visit to Florida State and had a meeting with head coach Jimbo Fisher.
"Their QB history is very prestigious," Fields said. "It was a very humbling feeling to get an offer from a guy that is so good with quarterbacks. Coach Fisher told me that he loves my play and how I'm a passer that can run. He told me they are going to recruit me really hard despite [knowing] I'm committed."
Fields, who was accompanied by his father on the trip to FSU's campus, said he has done his research on the Seminoles and Fisher.
"With Jimbo, he has that past history with Jameis Winston and EJ Manuel, so that means a lot to me that they want me this much," Fields said. "I like the quarterback history, and I was actually there last year for the Clemson game. So even before I picked Penn State, I had some good interest in FSU."
Fields says he remains very firm in his commitment to the Nittany Lions. Although a summer visit to FSU is expected, based on sources close to the situation.
When asked about his summer schedule for visits, Fields said it will likely depend on his father setting things up. If Fields does make another trip to Tallahassee, he provided an idea of some things he'd look for.
"I would look at how he (Fisher) coaches the quarterbacks at the summer camp and see if it feels like home to me," Fields said. "Because that's what I've really liked about Penn State, where I've visited three times now, with how good I feel around the players. So I would look for that, too, for an FSU visit."
Fields added that he talked with FSU quarterbacks coach Randy Sanders a couple of days ago. The Rivals250 QB said that conversation was mostly about how things were going in the spring and subjects away from football. Sanders and the FSU staff are expected to see Fields next week as part of their spring evaluation.
Fields is eager to get into spring practice to continue the progress he has made over the last year. He said his game has gone to another level now that he has incorporated more film work into his preparation.
"I would say at the beginning of my junior year things started clicking," he said. "I wasn't really prepared mentally for QB as a sophomore. To be honest, I couldn't really read defenses then. Couldn't spot the coverages, and I would just go with the open guy. The film room and getting all those concepts down made everything much easier, and slowed down."
Fields says Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina are some of the teams still pushing for him. He said he plans to take his official visits, but nothing has been set. Fields also said he is 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds now. He has had a substantial growth spurt since his freshman year, when he was 5-10, 175.
While Fields understandably is getting attention from a number of college coaches, he said he also is hearing from other recruits who want him to join their classes. One of those calls came from recent FSU commit Asante Samuel Jr.
