Michigan Football: Is there really a QB competition at Ohio State?
Michigan football started last season with a former transfer at quarterback and Ohio State could do that too, but do the Buckeyes have a clear-cut starter?
The season is getting closer for Michigan football and the rest of the Big Ten, which means the hype will only continue to grow in the coming weeks and months.
But so too will the questions. Fans and the media are starting to focus in on the 2019 season and before we know it, fall camp will begin. It starts in 10 days for Michigan football.
Thankfully for the Wolverines, one question they won’t face is who will be the starting quarterback. Shea Patterson will assume that role again and even though Jim Harbaugh said last week that Dylan McCaffrey would also see the field, perhaps in every game, there is no controversy.
Jim Harbaugh says he envisions playing both Shea Patterson and Dylan McCaffrey at QB this year.
— Nick Baumgardner (@nickbaumgardner) July 19, 2019
Perhaps in every game.
The same might not be said for Ohio State and it’s quarterback competition. While many have assumed that Justin Fields would take over as the starter, Ryan Day said that both Fields and former Kentucky transfer Gunnar Hoak were still competing for the job.
Obviously, Michigan fans would love for this news to be true. That could mean that maybe Fields isn’t living up to expectations. He was, after all, the top-ranked quarterback recruit in 2018 and the highest-rated quarterback the Buckeyes have landed.
Fields did get some playing time last season at Georgia, but it was limited and he made his biggest impact as a runner, although he did complete 27-of-39 passes (69 percent) for over 300 yards and four touchdowns. He also notched 42 rushing attempts, 266 yards and four scores.
The idea of a playmaking, dual-threat quarterback has to be frightening for Michigan football fans, but it looks like that is exactly what Day and Ohio State got in Fields.
So you can see why some want to buy the narrative that Hoak still has a shot at the job. But I am here to tell you, it’s not true. It’s just a smokescreen. It’s like Harbaugh saying Patterson wasn’t starting at this time a year ago. We all knew he would, Jim just wasn’t ready to say it yet.
But he did announce Patterson as the starter before the season and Day will likely to do the same with Fields. Hoak is even greener than Fields and has just 26-career pass attempts at Kentucky. So if he does end up being the starter, Ohio State is in trouble.
A great season from Fields is the best chance the Buckeyes have at repeating as Big Ten champs. Fields will have to be the best quarterback in the conference and with his skill set, he could be.
Fascinating. KJ Hill said he talked with Ryan Day at the Rose Bowl about whether he should stay or go pro, and Day told him Justin Fields was transferring to OSU. Hill said he would have gone pro otherwise.
— Kyle Rowland (@KyleRowland) July 18, 2019
Top Ohio State wide receiver K.J. Hill certainly believes in Fields, as he told the Big Ten Media last Thursday, that if not for Fields coming to Columbus, he would have gone to the NFL.
Now, that was months ago and who knows how Fields has looked since making the move to Ohio State. At the same time though, even if Hoak was neck-and-neck with Fields, he would have to be head and shoulders above him to get the starting gig.
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But again, I don’t think that’s even a remote possibility. Day and Fields are tied at the hip. At least for the 2019 season and whether Michigan and Ohio State fans like it or not, the success of Fields will have a huge impact on the Big Ten East race and the outcome of The Game.