Ryan Day: Justin Fields, Gunnar Hoak to Compete for Ohio State Starting QB Job

Justin Fields was one of the top prizes on the transfer market this offseason, but there's no guarantee he'll be Ohio State's starting quarterback next season.

Head coach Ryan Day told reporters Thursday that Fields will compete with Gunnar Hoak for the top spot on the depth chart.

Fields transferred to Ohio State after one year at Georgia, while Hoak came over from Kentucky after spending three years at the program.

Hoak graduated, making him eligible to play immediately. He gives the Buckeyes much-needed depth after they lost Dwayne Haskins to the NFL and Tate Martell and Matthew Baldwin to transfers.

However, Hoak has only thrown 26 passes in his collegiate career, all last season, while backing up Stephen Johnson and Terry Wilson. The 6'4" quarterback went 13-of-26 for 167 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

He was a 3-star prospect rated the No. 872 player in the 2016 class by 247Sports.

While rankings don't mean everything, Fields was much more highly touted out of high school as the No. 2 overall player in the 2018 class, per 247Sports.

He also impressed when he saw the field last season, completing 69.2 percent of his passes with four touchdowns and no interceptions. He added 266 rushing yards at 6.3 per carry to go with four rushing scores.

The dynamic player couldn't beat out Jake Fromm at Georgia, but there is little question he can be a game-changer at this level.

Despite the hype, the coaching staff is going to make him earn the starting role.

"Justin and Gunnar are going to compete like heck to win the job, but at the end of the day, it's going to come down to who can play the game," Day said.