Following a stint with the Georgia Bulldogs, he played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, where he was twice named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and appeared in the 2021 National Championship Game.

[2] Late in his senior year, in a game that was nationally televised on ESPN, he suffered a broken finger that required season-ending surgery.

[4][5][6] ESPN listed him as the top recruit overall, while Rivals and 247Sports ranked him second behind fellow quarterback and Georgia native Trevor Lawrence.

[9] In his true freshman season at Georgia in 2018, Fields served as the backup to starting quarterback Jake Fromm.

[13] Following Georgia's loss to Alabama in the 2018 SEC Championship Game, Fields announced his intent to transfer to Ohio State.

[14][15] Fields, who would normally be required to sit out for one year due to NCAA transfer rules, sought a waiver to be able to play immediately for Ohio State.

[17] This was believed to be the main incident constituting Fields' claim of "mitigating circumstances", although the full contents of the waiver request were never made public.

[19] In Fields' first season with the Buckeyes, he helped lead the team to a Big Ten Championship with a 34–21 victory over Wisconsin, and a spot in the College Football Playoff.

[20] Fields finished third in the running for the Heisman Trophy, was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and first-team all-conference.

[21] In the 2019 Fiesta Bowl against Clemson, he had 320 passing yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions in the 29–23 loss in the College Football Playoff semifinal.

[24] The season was played amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with the Big Ten Conference ultimately opting for a shortened conference-only schedule after initially canceling.

[25] Fields helped lead the Buckeyes to another undefeated regular season and Big Ten Championship with a 22–10 victory over Northwestern.

Fields took a hard hit to the midsection in the game and played through the injury in a performance that Sports Illustrated dubbed "legendary".

[35] With Dalton sidelined from his injury, Fields was named the starter in the following week's matchup against the Cleveland Browns.

[36] His starting debut saw him sacked 9 times, 4.5 of which were delivered by defensive end Myles Garrett, while completing 6 of 20 passes for 68 yards.

[39][40] In Week 7 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Fields committed 5 turnovers – 3 interceptions and 2 lost fumbles – as the Bears were defeated 38–3.

[47] Fields tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the season finale, making the Week 15 game the last of his rookie year.

[58][59] He returned in Week 13 against the Packers and became the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to rush for a touchdown in six consecutive games, although the Bears would lose 28–19.

[60] Fields suffered a hip injury in a Week 17 loss to the Lions, which caused him to miss the season finale against the Vikings.

[70] In Week 6 against the Vikings, Fields struggled mightily, being pressured constantly and only completing 6 of his 10 passes for 58 yards and an interception along with 4 sacks.

Early in the third quarter, Fields dislocated his shoulder and thumb while being sacked by Danielle Hunter and was replaced by undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent for the rest of the game as the Bears lost 19–13 to fall to 1–5.

[71] Fields finished his third season setting career-highs in completion percentage (61.4%) and passing yards (2,562) along with throwing a career-low nine interceptions.

During the game, Fields committed no turnovers and scored his first touchdown as a Steeler on a five yard pass to tight end Darnell Washington.

[85] The change at quarterback came following a Steelers 32–13 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in which Fields completed 14-of-24 passes for 145 yards, committing no turnovers and scoring two rushing touchdowns.

In the closing seconds of regulation, Fields took a snap and ran to his left before sliding just a yard shy of a first down to run time off the play clock and secure a Steelers victory.

He briefly appeared in two package plays during the Steelers' 28-14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in AFC Wild Card playoff game, handing off the ball to Jaylen Warren on an read pass option play as well as throwing an incomplete pass intended for Darnell Washington.