With the Elite 11 Finals scheduled for this weekend in the Los Angeles area, no one has more momentum than Penn State commit Justin Fields.
Fields, a dual-threat quarterback from Harrison (Kennesaw, Ga.), has had the best spring of virtually any player, especially among the quarterbacks.
The results can be seen in his rise in the national recruiting rankings announced this week.
Fields is now ranked as the No. 2 player overall in the Class of 2018 and the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback.
The No. 1 player in the class is Trevor Lawrence, a pro-style quarterback from Cartersville (Ga.) who has been No. 1 since the Class of 2018 was first ranked nearly two years ago.
Both Lawrence and Fields will be in the Elite 11 Finals, along with Matt Corral, a USC commit from Long Beach Poly.
“If Lawrence is the old-school prototype of the tall, strong-armed pocket passer, Fields is the next-gen future,” 247Sports national recruiting director Barton Simmons wrote. “He’s 6-foot-3, 220 pounds with strength, physicality and legit 4.5 speed. He’s accurate and strong-armed but has the ability to extend plays but the smarts to play within the scheme. The kid has Ivy League credentials with a 3.9 GPA and a score of 29 on the ACT.”
Fields added the coveted fifth star from Rivals.com and moved up 99 spots to No. 8 overall.
“It is hard to find a more exciting player in this class,” Rivals Southeast recruiting analyst Chad Simmons wrote. “Yes, Lawrence is a special talent, but the way Fields can throw, the way he can run and the way he can make plays, it makes many think of Cam Newton. Fields has a live arm, he has really improved as a passer and his legs make him scary.”
With the rankings by Rivals and 247Sports, Fields is now No. 6 overall in the composite rankings, up 14 spots from previously.
Fields committed to Penn State in December, but the suitors continue, with Florida, Florida State, Auburn and in-state Georgia among those in pursuit.
The Penn State coaches continue to check in with Fields as he received visits from Nittany Lions coaches twice during the month of May.