ATLANTA — Georgia football quarterback Justin Fields has embraced his role and is going with the flow, working to develop into the player most everyone thinks he can be.
Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart clarified Fields’ current role on Tuesday, and senior teammate Terry Godwin shared insights into the mindset of the No. 1-ranked dual-threat QB in the 2018 signing class.
“He’s taken on the second team role quickly, and I’m excited about the things he’s done,” Smart said at SEC Media Days at the College Football Hall of Fame. “He gives us an element in our offense that we don’t have. Excited to see what he can do.”
Smart said Georgia football has no plans to redshirt Fields — which most had already assumed. The Bulldogs have only two quarterbacks on scholarship after Jacob Eason’s transfer to Washington in February.
Bulldogs sophomore quarterback Jake Fromm has been observed in command of the team, both on the field and in the locker room.
RELATED: NFL QB whisperer dishes on Jake Fromm running Georgia team
Fields, just as importantly, is managing his situation in optimal fashion.
“He’s going to come in and compete very similar to the way Jake Fromm came in and competed with Eason,” Smart said. “He’s coming in to compete and learn our system. He’s made the players around him better. He’s embraced the challenge of learning the offense, and he’s a very bright young man.”
Indeed, Fields is smart enough to avoid falling victim to the hype train, according to Godwin.
“He’s not really listening to all the noise,” Godwin said. “He’s out there making plays at practice, and just going as hard as he can and trying to prove a point.”
Justin Fields highlights
