Interesting article by our friends at Land Grant Holy Land speculating what would have happened had Justin Fields not transferred in and OSU stuck with Tate Martell.
Personally, I agree with the author, Brett Ludwiczak, that OSU would not be in as strong of a position today, especially on the recruiting front. Whether Martell could have been successful would have depended on Day/Wilson's ability to adjust the scheme for his feet vs. Fields passing. Day is creative, so I could see him making it work, but I don't think anyone will disagree that the WR room would not have benefitted as much. Because of Fields' success, the recruiting on both the QB and WR fronts has been spectacular. With OSU making another NCG, the recruits have taken notice that we are clearly a top 4 school annually, and OSU has become a viable destination for those looking to win.
Here are some interesting questions that arise from a no-Fields scenario - Would Matthew Baldwin have stuck around and been viable instead of Tate? Would we have tried to pick up someone else in the portal like a Brandon Wimbush, Jack Tuttle, or Austin Kendall? (I'm not sure of the timing on these, but if Fields was a solid no, would we have been in on them sooner?). And would we be looking at Day in a much different light right now?
Speculate away, fellow 11W'ers!
