Tate Martell was this close. 

With Dwayne Haskins now universally regarded as the top pro quarterback prospect in the country, it (very) briefly looked for all the world like the former Bishop Gorman (NV) star and subject of the inaugural season of the Netflix series, “QB1: Beyond the Lights,” was finally the next man up at Ohio State.

Evidently, however, new head coach Ryan Day is either dying to immediately demonstrate his ability to juggle a quarterback controversy, or he was simply never a believer in the 5-foot-10 Martell—a player, by the way, who was recruited by the now-infamous Zach Smith.

In any case, according to Letterman Row, Martell will be getting some unwanted company as soon as today from the star of QB1's second season—a story our own sources have since confirmed.

Fields is expected to arrive in Columbus this weekend, with dorm room necessities in tow, and enroll in classes at Ohio State just in time for the start of the spring semester.

With Oklahoma and Florida State reportedly in play for Fields over the course of the past month, the move to what could be perceived as a more crowded quarterback room at Ohio State struck some as surprising initially.

But, with the belief that Haskins is gone, coupled with the realization that Martell may not be the apple of his new coach’s eye, Fields to the Buckeyes began to make some more sense. Additionally—and unbeknownst to most—there’s an existing relationship between Haskins and Fields, who share an Atlanta-based quarterback coach.

For more on that, we point you, once more, to this article at Letterman Row.

Saw the report that former 5-star #UGA QB Justin Fields is transferring to #OhioState. I can confirm that he is on the OSU campus there now. Would expect more details in the next 24 hours or so.

— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) January 4, 2019

Fields’ timeline for eligibility at Ohio State remains in question, but, as we mentioned in our initial acknowledgment of this holiday quarterback saga, he likely has a path towards petitioning his way behind center immediately.

In any case, here’s wishing Justin the best of luck. The sport, as a whole, is better when players like him are in a position to lead programs.