Aaron Murray: If ready, Justin Fields should share playing time with Jake Fromm

As Aaron Murray sees it, Georgia has a good problem.

When the Bulldogs begin football activities in March, rising sophomore Jake Fromm will open as the starting quarterback. But jumping into the No. 2 quarterback spot will be true freshman Justin Fields, a five-star prospect who nearly every major program coveted during his recruitment.

With that kind of talent, Murray, Georgia's all-time career passer with 13,166 yards from 2010-13, believes there are multiple ways for the Georgia coaching staff to handle the two quarterbacks. And that includes devising some packages to ensure Fields sees the field early on as a freshman.

"I think with his unique skill set, you have to find a way to get him in the game," Murray said. "Whether it’s 10 plays a game, 15 plays a game -- just not even the fact that he’s a great athlete, but the fact that, as a defensive coordinator heading into that game, now you have to spend 20 minutes, 30 minutes of practice every single day working on the (wildcat formation). When does Fields come in? When does Fromm? That’s 30, 40 minutes when you only get 20 hours per week. Now you’re cutting into that game plan. I think just to stress defensive coordinators out, I think you have to find a way to continue to put him in, continue the (wildcat) as well."

Murray prefaced his comment by stating that the Georgia coaches have to make sure Fields is as good as advertised during spring practice. But given how Fromm performed during his freshman season, it will be a tough task to take him off of the field.

Through 15 games in a national championship runner-up season, Fromm completed 62.2 percent of his passes for 2,615 yards, 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

But Fields offers another dynamic that Georgia hasn't seen since D.J. Shockley quarterbacked the Bulldogs in 2005. Fields, while possessing a strong arm, has the kind of speed that forces defenses to account for a quarterback's threat to run the football. Murray believes that could be used as a weapon for Georgia, even if Fromm is the starter from the start to finish in 2018.

"You want to make it where they really don’t know what’s going on and they have to game plan against multiple things," Murray said. "It just takes time out of their day. It takes time out of the practice. I think they’re going to utilize it. It’ll be interesting to see."

If Georgia uses Fields as a true freshman, Murray believes the coaching staff should be upfront on how involved he will be on a weekly basis. For instance, if Fields can be of major help against a certain opponent, he should know how often he will play. If Georgia faces a team that bottles up mobile quarterbacks, Fields should know he won't play as much.

And if Fields isn't ready whatsoever, Murray said there is no reason to rush the freshman on the field. After all, Fromm proved he is more than capable of leading his team.

"I think (Fields) still needs to prove that he can play at this level," Murray said. "If he goes out there in spring ball and camp and it’s just too much for him, it’s overwhelming, don’t put him in there just to put him in there. If he legitimately can make an impact on the game, then put him in there. I’m sure they’ll make that decision when the time comes. If you need to sit him out, sit him out."

This story was originally published January 30, 2018 at 10:33 PM with the headline "Aaron Murray: If ready, Justin Fields should share playing time with Jake Fromm."