Ohio State football: Ryan Day names 2019 starting quarterback

Justin Fields is Ohio State’s starting quarterback for the opener against Florida Atlantic.

Coach Ryan Day made the announcement Monday morning, roughly eight months after Fields arrived as a transfer from Georgia.

>>RELATED: Fields drawn to Ohio State by Day’s work with previous QBs

The former five-star prospect had been widely expected to be Ohio State QB1 once he announced he was coming north, particularly after Tate Martell and Matthew Baldwin transferred in January and April, respectively.

Day said in July he was not going to name a starter — Kentucky transfer Gunnar Hoak and fifth-year senior Chris Chugunov were also in the running — until someone earned the job.

He indicated late last week Fields had picked it up in practice and an announcement was coming soon.

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The last transfer to be Ohio State’s full-time starting quarterback was Joe Germaine, who became the starter in 1998 after playing extensively as part of a two-quarterback system with Stanley Jackson the previous two seasons.

He began his career at Scottsdale (Ariz.) Community College.

>>RELATED: The Ohio State QB Fields might most resemble this season

Germaine’s one season as a starter was a memorable one as he won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the Big Ten’s Most Valuable Player.

His 3,330 passing yards were a school record until Dwayne Haskins threw for a Big Ten record 4,831 yards last season.

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