Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields is headed to the NFL draft after two seasons with the Buckeyes, he announced Monday.
Fields made the announcement on Twitter, writing, "My path to The Ohio State University was not a direct one, but I could not have asked for a better final destination." He went on to thank his family, coaches, support staff and teammates.
"Growing up, my dream was to one day play the game that I love at the highest level. Now thanks to God's grace and mercy, along with the help of you all, I am in a position to turn that dream into reality,'' Fields posted.
Fields played his freshman season at Georgia, before transferring to Ohio State in January 2019. Soon after, he received a waiver to be immediately eligible for the 2019 season, in which he put up record-setting numbers for the Big Ten champion Buckeyes and was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.
ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. ranks Fields as the No. 3 overall prospect for the 2021 draft, behind Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell.
In two seasons at Ohio State, Fields had 5,373 passing yards with 63 touchdowns and nine interceptions, to go along with 867 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. Fields is set to become the second Ohio State quarterback drafted in the first round in three seasons, after the school had none between Art Schlichter in 1982 and Dwayne Haskins in 2019.
Fields in 2019 became the first Big Ten player with 40 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing touchdowns in a season, earning the league's Offensive Player of the Year Award. He led the nation in touchdown-to-interception ratio (41-3) and won MVP honors in the Big Ten championship game against Wisconsin.
Behind Fields, Ohio State won two Big Ten titles and made consecutive College Football Playoff appearances for the first time, falling to Clemson and Lawrence in the 2019 semifinals, before beating Clemson in the semis this year and losing to Alabama in the national title game on Jan. 11. Fields played through an injury to his throwing thumb in the Big Ten championship game and a massive hit to his rib area in this year's semifinal win over Clemson.
Fields, 21, was ESPN's No. 1 overall recruit in the 2018 class, one spot ahead of Lawrence, a fellow Georgia native. Fields played sparingly behind Jake Fromm during the 2018 season at Georgia, passing for 328 yards and four touchdowns.
Fields' draft stock surged after he outplayed Lawrence in the CFP victory over Clemson. With Lawrence all but certain to go to the Jacksonville Jaguars as the No. 1 overall pick, the New York Jets pick second and could make Fields the centerpiece of their rebuild if they decide to move on from Sam Darnold.
Ohio State guard Wyatt Davis, the Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year, also announced he will enter the draft in a Twitter post on Monday.
Kiper ranks Davis, an All-America selection in 2019, as the No. 2 draft-eligible guard. The 6-foot-4, 315-pound Davis opted out of the 2020 season in September to begin preparing for the draft, but he later opted back in and received a waiver to play.
Also heading to the draft is Buckeyes defensive lineman Tommy Togiai.
Togiai recorded three sacks, 4.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble in 2020, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors. Kiper ranks the 6-foot-2, 300-pound Togiai as the No. 7 draft-eligible defensive tackle.
Togiai, along with fellow defensive lineman Tyreke Smith and other Buckeyes players, missed the national championship game against Alabama due to COVID-19 issues.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.