Justin Fields to Penn State: Nittany Lions Land 4-Star QB

The Penn State Nittany Lions are set to play in Saturday's Big Ten Championship Game, but they improved their future roster Thursday with an important win on the recruiting trail.

Quarterback prospect Justin Fields announced he will be joining the Nittany Lions' 2018 recruiting class:

The 6'3", 209-pound signal-caller is a 4-star prospect, per Scout.com, the No. 206 overall player and No. 18 quarterback in his class.

There were a variety of marquee programs included on Scout's schools-of-interest list for the Georgia native, including Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, Louisville, Ole Miss, Nebraska, North Carolina, TCU, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Virginia Tech.

Fields attracted so much attention as a prospect because of his ability to make plays with his arm and legs. He brings physicality to the quarterback position and is difficult to bring down with his larger frame. He also possesses speed when things break down in the pocket or when he is looking to pick up yardage on the ground.

According to Scout, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.53 seconds.

Kennesaw (Ga.) Harrison coach Matt Dickmann commented on Fields' skill set, per Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports: "He can run, he can throw. His intelligence, he's a very bright young man, cool, calm in the pocket, makes good decisions every play."

Wiltfong noted Fields threw for 2,253 yards and 18 touchdowns and accounted for 977 yards and 14 scores on the ground as a junior. Hudl shared some of the highlights from his impressive campaign:

Scout pointed to his big arm and "beautiful deep ball" in its breakdown of Fields, although it did acknowledge he could stand to improve his intermediate routes before hitting the college level.

Wiltfong said the addition of Fields gives the Nittany Lions the No. 1 class in 247Sports' early 2018 recruiting rankings. The quarterback will have a handful of targets on campus with him considering that talented group already includes wide receiver Justin Shorter and tight ends Pat Freiermuth and Zack Kuntz.

Penn State is moving in the right direction under head coach James Franklin and just won double-digit games for the first time since 2009. It will continue its ascension in the loaded Big Ten East if he continues to land targets like Fields.