UVA Football: Malachi Fields was choosing between Notre Dame, Penn State; UVA had no chance

Malachi Fields was convinced to stay home by Marques Hagans, who left the UVA Football program in the 2022 offseason for Penn State, which won a College Football Playoff game last weekend.

Penn State was one of two finalists for Fields, who decided last week to hit the transfer portal, reportedly at the urging of advisers who felt he needed to get out from under the ineffective Tony Elliott/Des Kitchings offense.

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ICYMI

• UVA Football: Malachi Fields enters the transfer portal; huge loss for ‘Hoos
• UVA Football: Malachi Fields lands at Notre Dame, because of course

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The other was Notre Dame, which has another tie to Fields, in the form of Mike Brown, who, like Fields, is a Monticello High School grad, and the first-year wide receivers coach on the staff of Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman.

I’m not reading too much into the decision from Fields to go with the guy who went to the same high school over the guy who recruited him to UVA.

The way I see it, the Notre Dame situation is just the better one for Fields, because the Irish are losing three of their most productive wideouts, grad transfers Beaux Collins (Clemson), Kris Mitchell (Florida International) and Jayden Harrison (Marshall).

The grad-transfer trio has accounted for 72 of the 148 catches for Notre Dame wideouts this season, and 857 of the 1,735 receiving yards.

Penn State, for its part, does stand to lose its top pass target, Tyler Warren, who has 92 catches and 1,095 receiving yards, but Warren is a tight end.

The Nittany Lions’ top wide receiver, Harrison Wallce III (43 catches, 686 yards), is a junior, as are Omari Evans (19 catches, 360 yards) and Liam Clifford (18 catches, 286 yards).