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Justin Fields is giving a good 1st impression at UGA as QB battle begins

Justin Fields is getting noticed early on campus.
Credit: Troy Wayrynen
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports

ATHENS, Ga. -- There are several position battles ramping up as spring football begins for the Georgia Bulldogs. That's always the case for any team.

But for a third consecutive year, there will be a battle for the starting quarterback job. True freshman Justin Fields comes to Athens after being the No. 1 dual threat quarterback in the class of 2018. He and the Bulldogs began spring football on Tuesday.

Fields, an early enrollee, has participated in the weight room and has played some 7-on-7. While it's a little early for Smart or any of the Bulldogs to have any strong opinions on Fields, he's at least been getting noticed.

"He competes everyday. He's first in line trying to compete with every guy," Smart said. "He's a very bright kid, and I'm excited to see him practice."

This may not be as intense of a quarterback battle as last year when Jake Fromm came to town to try and overtake Jacob Eason. He ultimately lost that battle, but Eason was injured in the opening game of the season. Fromm came in, led the Bulldogs to some impressive early victories including on the road at Notre Dame, and the rest is history.

No one really believes Fromm, a sophomore, will lose his starting job after leading the Bulldogs to a national championship. Fromm threw for 2,615 yards and 24 touchdowns last season. He helped lead Georgia through high-pressure games such as the SEC Championship and Rose Bowl, and even had great moments in the national championship against Alabama despite the over time loss.

"The fact that Justin and Jake are competing is no different from than every guy on our team," Smart said.

Tight end Isaac Nauta has witnessed the last two quarterback battles. The junior enjoys watching them play out. But when it comes to experience or leading a team to the biggest game of the year, he knows it doesn't matter to Smart.

"Anybody can lose their job. If you don't perform, you don't do what you're supposed to do, these coaches are going to put the people out on the field that they think are going to help us best win," Nauta said.

But even Nauta smiled after recalling Fromm's freshman season as he said "We'll see," indicating he's not expecting much of a change.

As for what he's seen from Fields:

"He's got a cannon. He's a big physical kid," he said.

"He's out there throwing the ball and knowing all the checks," wide receiver Terry Godwin said. "He's got a nice arm."

While Fields is known for making plays with his legs, it's been his arm that's made an early impression.

"He's got a big arm. I knew that," J.R. Reed said.

Everyone's anxious to see what the freshman can do this spring.

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