<
        >

          No. 1 Justin Fields to sign with Georgia despite eleventh-hour efforts

          play
          Top overall prospect Fields chooses Georgia (0:44)

          Tom Luginbill says that No. 1 QB Justin Fields will add a new dynamic to the Bulldogs in 2018. (0:44)

          • Gerry Hamilton, ESPN Staff WriterDec 18, 2017, 08:52 PM
            Close
            • National recruiting analyst
            • More than a decade covering recruiting, nationally and in Texas
            Follow on X

          The recruitment of the nation's top prospect in the class of 2018 will officially come to an end Wednesday.

          Justin Fields, the 6-foot-3, 223-pound Under Armour All-America Game quarterback, committed to Georgia over Florida State the first week in October, and has since been on campus in Athens multiple times, including an official visit over the weekend.

          Fields' decision to sign on Wednesday following the weekend visit in Athens comes on the heels of Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher, Florida coach Dan Mullen and Seminoles coach Willie Taggart making pitches to get Fields to visit, which did not materialize with Fields' decision to make his official to Georgia over the weekend.

          The success of true freshman Jake Fromm leading Georgia to the SEC championship and the College Football Playoff provided the Bulldogs' competition they hope to sell a more inviting depth chart, with questions about the future of the position in College Station and Gainesville following the hires of Fisher and Mullen.

          The news for Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs is huge. Getting the pied piper of the Bulldogs' No. 4-ranked recruiting class signed is a big boost as Georgia continues to battle for five-star defensive end and recent Ohio State decommit Brenton Cox, ESPN 300 offensive linemen Jamaree Salyer and Cade Mays, along with ESPN 300 receiver Tommy Bush, ESPN 300 outside linebackers Channing Tindall and Michigan verbal Otis Reese and five-star ends Micah Parsons and K.J. Henry.

          Texas A&M, Florida and Florida State continue to search for a quarterback to add to the 2018 class. The Aggies offered ESPN 300 and TCU commitment Justin Rogers and ESPN 300 James Foster in recent days, while the Gators hosted Ohio State verbal Emory Jones for an official visit over the weekend and are having conversations with Louisville commit Jordan Travis. The Seminoles also hosted Ohio State verbal Emory Jones over the weekend, as well as former Tennessee verbal Michael Penix.