Godby (Tallahassee, Fla.) safety Tony Fields thought he had the perfect plan.
Going into the 2012 season, the 5-foot-11, 200-pound defensive back was going to get a jump start on the recruiting process by showcasing his talents early and often against some of the top competition in Florida and attracting the attention of the college football elite.
Though he would accomplished his mission of impressing recruiters from around the nation, it definitely didn't go according to the original plan.
“The season went pretty well for me overall,” said Fields. “Early on, I hurt my hamstring before the first game, so I missed half the season, but I was able to recover and record 82 tackles, five past deflections, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and two sacks. I was able to do all that in seven games.”
It makes you wonder what kind of numbers the Florida star could've put up if he had been able to participate in all 15 of the Cougars contests this past season, but the talented 2014 prospect isn't one to look back and wonder what could’ve have happened. He'd rather look towards the future and how he can take his game to the next level.
“You have to have leadership in every aspect of your game both on and off the field,” he explained. “School is very important and it don't matter what you can do on the football field because if you don't do well in school, it's pretty well pointless.
“You have to be willing to be in the weight room taken every rep you can because that one sit-up or push-up could be the difference in winning a game. In my opinion every little thing you do matters and you have to be willing to do more than what's expected of you to be successful.
“We do a lot of stuff as a team, but it's also important to get out there on that field, by yourself, and work on those drills. That's what's going to make you better and put you over the top.”
This desire and attitude to be the best is definitely infectious and it's easy to see why college recruiters are already knocking on his door.
“Recruiting’s been going great and last week I picked up another offer from TCU,” shared Fields. “That makes my third offer to go along with Mississippi and Mississippi State. I've been in constant contact with most of the SEC schools, most of the Big-10 schools and Notre Dame visited me recently, so everything good.”
The impressive safety enjoyed the product that the Irish put on the field during its chase for the national championship and believes the futures bright for one of the most storied programs in college football history.
“I really like Notre Dame because they have a great tradition and over the last couple years they been putting some great players in the NFL,” he stated. “There's no doubt that their program is back on the rise and I think they're here to stay. It's a team that gets excellent recruits and they've shown they can recruit with the best.”
Even though his correspondence with Notre Dame has only just begun to take shape, the Irish have definitely led the Godby standout know that they have their eyes firmly fixed on him and their interest is certainly genuine.
“Notre Dame told me they wanted me to come up as much possible next season and I'm already planning on going up there this summer,” said Fields. “I'm looking forward to learning more about their playing style and getting to meet their defensive back coach. I'm also looking forward to meeting Brian Kelly and just getting a better feel for the place overall.
“They also told me to come up to their camp and show them what I can do and then I'll pretty much have my offer from them.”
