Since his days playing flag football in Texas, Joe Fields idolized Donovan McNabb. His bedroom wall in Houston is covered with posters of the former SU standout and current Philadelphia Eagles star.

Fields’ dream of following in his hero’s shoes is one step closer to becoming a reality. This semester, Fields officially enrolled at Syracuse as the Orangemen’s No. 1 recruit for the 2004 football season. He headlines a class of 28 recruits being introduced today at 5:15 p.m. at Manley Field House.

Fields is a 6-foot-1, 214-pound quarterback who hails from Booker T. Washington High School in Houston. And although Tom Lemming of Prep Football Report left him out of his top 100 recruits of 2004, Rivals.com ranked Fields the No. 18 dual-threat high school quarterback in the country. Not to mention, he was named a Super Prospect by ESPN Insider.

‘He looked as polished and as smooth as any high school prospect you’re gonna look at,’ Syracuse head coach Paul Pasqualoni said. ‘Joe is a guy who in high school film was impressive in everything he did.’

At Washington, Fields was named his district’s Most Valuable Player in 2002, along with earning All-District honors in his sophomore and junior seasons.

Perhaps Fields’ most impressive feat, though, is finishing high school in three and a half years. Like Bobby Reid, Fields’ friend who left high school early to play for Oklahoma State, Fields finished his high school career in December and began to take classes at SU for the spring semester.

‘(Graduating early) wasn’t as difficult as people make it seem,’ Fields said. ‘I took a class of summer school and doubled up on my courses, economics and government, but it wasn’t that hard. Maybe that’s because it came easy.’

Fields modestly admitted he graduated high school with an A average, but his mother, Germaine, remembers that some nights the workload got a little tough.

‘He said (the homework) was kind of hard,’ Germaine said. ‘But he was able to adjust to it because (going to college) was something he wanted to do.’

Both Fields and Pasqualoni agree that starting classes early and attending spring practice will benefit him in the near future. Getting used to going to class and making friends are often the toughest part of the transition to college, let alone the transition to a Division I football team.

‘In the next six months,’ Pasqualoni said, ‘the three guys coming in have a real opportunity to make the transition and to feel real positive about their position and their place on the team. By August, they’re not gonna be the new guys that just came in.’

Though he didn’t finish high school in three and a half years, SU running back Damien Rhodes took a similar path after joining the Orangemen. Since he lived in Syracuse, Rhodes lifted weights with Syracuse during the summer and formed relationships with his teammates, making him feel more comfortable once his freshman season came.

‘I do know for sure that one of the most important things in how Joe will feel is getting to know the place and feeling comfortable here,’ Pasqualoni said. ‘Damien knew so much because he was around the guys so much more.’

Germaine supports her son’s decision to leave high school early because she knows football is his passion. She felt he was mature enough to leave home and pursue his dream.

‘He had his grades up,’ Germaine said, ‘and I felt like he was ready to go into the new world.’

Fortunately for Fields, being in the new world will not prevent him from attending senior week at Washington. Fields plans to return to Houston after finals week to attend his graduation and senior prom.

The only thing Fields will miss is his senior season as a member of the

Washington basketball team. Washington will most likely miss Fields’ 11 points and 8 rebounds per game, but it understands that Fields’ ambitions lie on the football field and not the basketball court.

Fields must put all of his concentration on football, as he hopes to fight for the starting job as quarterback for the Orangemen next fall. He will be competing with sophomores Perry Paterson and Matt Hale and junior Xavier Gaines.

‘No disrespect to Perry, Xavier or Matt,’ Fields said, ‘but if I get a chance to compete with those guys, why should I take a back seat to them? I feel that my abilities are just as good as theirs. I got a chance to come in and work as hard as I can. Why not give me a shot at it?’

Said Pasqualoni: ‘They’ll all be competing. They’ll all be evaluated every single day, and there’s plenty of opportunity.’

Syracuse put Fields first from the beginning, visiting him at his home in Houston and reminding him he had a good shot at being SU’s next starting quarterback. The coaching staff has already reserved the No. 5 jersey – McNabb’s number with SU and Philadelphia – for Fields next season.

‘My role model is Donovan McNabb,’ Fields said. ‘That ought to say it all right there. I can make all the throws I feel like. I can make it happen. I can adapt to the offense. I prepare well and I try to find the advantages in the defense and try to take them.’

Though McNabb is a role model, he is not the reason why Fields chose to come to Syracuse. Fields turned down schools like Arkansas, Missouri and Wisconsin because he felt that Syracuse was the only school that would give him a shot.

‘Coach P and coach (George) DeLeone were the two that recruited me very hard,’ Fields said. ‘I had built up a trust with those guys. For me to come in in January with a new coach that I haven’t been communicating with would’ve been hard. I’d have felt that I would’ve had a better chance at another school with another coach that I had established a relationship with.’

Said Germaine: ‘Syracuse showed that they were for Joe and that they could advance him. He’s not at Syracuse because McNabb was there. The coaches showed him a lot of love, and he decided that’s who he wanted to be with.’

Published on February 3, 2004 at 12:00 pm