MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Just how did a Las Vegas native, who first chose to go to Arizona, end up in Morgantown? WVU linebacker Tony Fields II, fortunately, had a few friends and previous connections waiting for him with open arms when he committed to the Mountaineers in August.
Fields chose WVU over Texas after he decided to leave Arizona for what he originally thought would be his final college season.
“It was a family decision,” he said. “Me and my father were talking about it all the time. I just decided it was best for me to move on and try to go to a different team to help my career, and I ended up at West Virginia. I love the school and I had a great relationship with coach (Jahmile) Addae already because he recruited me to the University of Arizona.”
Fields was the second ex-Wildcat to end up with the Mountaineers this season — the other being safety Scottie Young. Not only did Fields know Addae and Young, but he befriended linebacker Bryce Brand during the recruiting process out of high school. Brand and Fields committed to Arizona around the same time, though Brand eventually signed with Maryland and has since transferred to WVU.
“I talked to Scottie before I even thought about coming here, obviously because he was already here,” Fields said. “While I was at Arizona, he had already told me about the team atmosphere and everything going on. I already had a little grasp of everything that was going on around here. So that actually did make the decision easier.”
Perhaps most important, Fields simply was ready for something new and something different, and that’s what WVU offered in more ways than one.
“I like nature, so coming out to West Virginia wasn’t a real problem for me because I like the trees and I like the atmosphere everywhere,” said Fields, who had lived in the desert most of his life. “It is good to get away from the heat every now and then. I am expecting the cold coming up soon. I don’t know how I am going to feel about that, though.”
On the field, Fields has proved his worth early for the Mountaineers. In just 30 snaps in the 56-10 win over Eastern Kentucky, he finished with a team-high 10 tackles. In last week’s loss at Oklahoma State, Fields continued his strong start, finishing with nine tackles and had an interception he thought he could have returned for a touchdown.
“I did think I had a chance to go all the way with it,” he said. “I wish I did. I am still regretting it. Honestly, I think I am well-rounded. This offseason I tried to get better at block shedding and recognizing pattern schemes so I could get better with my pass drops. So I guess it paid off.
“I was just dropping over the quarterback. I read his eyes and he tried to look me off and I saw the dig coming right back over top of me, so I slid underneath.”
At Arizona, Fields was a tackling machine, finishing with over 280 in three seasons with the Wildcats, but made a transition from “Will” linebacker to “Mike” at West Virginia. Will is short for weakside — outside linebacker — while Mike is short for middle. The difference in scheme — compared to what he was in at Arizona — is another thing that drew Fields to WVU.
Coach Neal Brown said he and the defensive coaches are still trying to figure out which position is best to fit Fields, but his versatility makes him a strong asset to the defensive front.
“The Mike linebacker at West Virginia, you have to make all of the calls as far as looking to the sideline, finding out the down and distance, finding out the play call and then relaying it to the defensive linemen,” Fields said. “I also have to make sure they’re set, so it’s a big responsibility playing linebacker.”
