A top expert in the NCAA compliance world believes new Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields will have his hardship waiver approved by college athletics' governing body, which means he’d be eligible to play in 2019.

Most transfers must sit out a year after they move from one FBS school to another, but in interviews with the Columbus Dispatch, Fields' lawyer Tom Mars and former NCAA investigator Tim Nevius both signaled that they believe the onetime Georgia passer who left the school after just one season and arrived in Columbus earlier this month will be able to bypass the year-out requirement.

More from the Dispatch:

"Outside speculation about a rationale for Fields’ case that would pass NCAA muster centers on an incident at the Sept. 29 Georgia-Tennessee game in which a Georgia baseball player, Adam Sasser, repeatedly yelled a racial slur invoking Fields.

“I’m very confident that the NCAA will grant Justin a waiver so he can play next season, but not just for the reasons people have speculated about on social media,” Mars said in a statement to The Dispatch. “There’s more to it than that.”"

Nevius, the investigator, added in an interview with The Dispatch:

“I think it (Fields’ waiver request) will be approved, especially if there’s more information there. They’re going to recognize it’s not something they want to endorse as appropriate behavior and that people should not be subject to that type of environment and should be able to transfer.”

The full Dispatch story can be read by clicking here.

Mars rose to college football fame in 2018 after representing former Ole Miss quarterback Shea Patterson in his quest to be able to play immediately at Michigan after leaving the Rebels. The NCAA granted that request, and Patterson started for the Wolverines this past season.

Fields' path to the field may not be as easy though, even if he is given the OK to play, as former five-star Tate Martell and others will also be fighting to replace the Buckeyes' Dwayne Haskins, who declared for the NFL Draft following the Rose Bowl.

A onetime Penn State commit and former five-star recruit, Fields decommitted from the Lions before ultimately picking Georgia, in part because he liked the idea of playing close to him, as he’s from Kennesaw, Ga.

“This is a high priority for Coach [Ryan] Day, and it’s my top priority at the moment," Mars told The Toledo Blade.

"I’m confident the process will move quickly and that the NCAA will be able to make a decision on OSU’s waiver request much sooner than most people might think.”

Penn State will face Ohio State, new coach Ryan Day, and his first-team quarterback selection in Columbus this season, as the Lions and Buckeyes are set to meet at ‘The Horseshoe’ on Nov. 23.