Mark Fields came to Clemson as a four-star recruit out of Charlotte, NC. He was highly pursued by traditional SEC powers like Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and LSU, but originally committed to South Carolina. This was at the peak of South Carolina’s heyday (right after 2013 season) so it isn’t as absurd as it sounds now.

Glad to say I'm officially committed to the University of South Carolina ❗️#Gamecocknation #wecocky — Mark Fields II (@MFII__) March 22, 2014

This was a huge add for South Carolina at the time. Rivals ranked him as the 10th best player at his position and 5th best in the state of North Carolina. U of SC fans felt this was a sign they would start recruiting at a higher-level given their recent on the field success. One SB Nation Gamecock commenter said: “This dramatically improves my confidence that we’ll continue to ‘Fields’ a good team in the years to come.” Then things changed.

Four-star CB Mark Fields confirms that he has decommitted from the #Gamecocks. He's USC's 6th decommitment in recent months. — GoGamecocks (@gogamecocks) December 17, 2014

Spurrier’s success would not last and the Tigers took advantage by signing Mark Fields. His first season was 2015. Clemson extended their Palmetto Bowl win streak to two games and played in their first CFP National Championship game. Fields wasn’t a major contributor though.

His sophomore year he began making a bigger impact. He played in 11 games and tallied a sack, an INT, a TD, and four passes broken up. Unfortunately, injuries (generally foot related) would slow him down after that. He played in just five games as a junior. He returned for his senior year, breaking a brief trend of DBs surprising Clemson fans with vexing early departures.

In his penultimate season, Fields played in seven games, missing several contests for various reasons including the Syracuse game due to violation of team rules, the Louisville game with a groin injury, and the Notre Dame game with what was reported as an undisclosed injury.

Prior to the National Championship game, his status was uncertain. Here’s how teammate Tanner Muse put it:

“If Mark wants to play it will ultimately be up to Mark. There’s nothing we can do. It’s up to him, how he feels. However he feels is the way it’s going to be. I never know how Mark’s feeling. It’s 50-50. He’s good or bad so we’ll see. He’s a character. I say that goofingly, like he’s one of them guys where you don’t really know how he’s going to be. He’s got like this alter-ego where he just comes in. But yeah, Mark Fields is Mark Fields. You never know what you’re gonna get.” - Tanner Muse (Credit: The State)

Trayvon Mullen and AJ Terrell emerged as very good starting CBs throughout the season so Mark Fields was never really needed to fill that role, but early in the second half against Alabama, Mullen went to the sideline with cramps, and the Tigers needed Fields to step in and step up. The Tide only trailed by 15 with 10 minutes remaining in the quarter when Fields made this play:

It was a huge defensive stop on third down that set-up this memorable play:

The Tigers would convert a 3rd & 8 on their next drive for a 74-yard TD pass and strengthen its grip on the championship game. In hindsight, that sequence of events (Field’s pass broken up, failed fake FG, 74-yard Clemson TD) ended any hope of a Crimson Tide comeback. If not for Fields coming through and making a play, it could have been an 8-point game with the momentum swinging the other way.

Just for good measure, Fields added this highlight later once the rout was on:

Despite never developing into the reliable starter we expected upon his signing, Mark Fields showed flashes of brilliance at times. He made up for his lack of height with his speed and redeemed his lack of consistency by coming through in the biggest moment of his career.

It’s amazing how a player’s football legacy can be shaped by just a few brief moments. Mark Fields was a mercurial player at Clemson, but his time in Tiger Town will largely be remembered for the great way he went out. Just for good measure, he was part of the greatest senior class in not just Clemson, but all of college football history too (55-4 overall record). He also finishes his career 4-0 against the team in the Midlands to which he had originally committed. He will now begin his NFL career, which is off to a positive start as he received an NFL combine invitation.

Next on the agenda is NFL combine.. catch me in Indy march 1st — Mark Fields II (@MFII__) February 2, 2019

Thank you, Mark Fields, for joining the Clemson family and helping our Tigers to two National Championships! Best of luck in the NFL!