Five-star quarterback Justin Fields, the No. 1 high school football prospect in the nation, made his decision on Friday morning, verbally committing to Georgia and ending one of the most hotly contested recruitments in recent memory.

A 6-foot-3, 221-pound dual-threat signal caller out of Kennesaw, Georgia, Fields is a former Penn State commitment who pulled off that pledge on June 6 and immediately became interested in southern schools.

It was believed that Florida would be his preferred destination at that time, but Fields' recruitment opened up wide to include Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, LSU and UGA -- the first team he visited after decommitting from PSU.

With the Gators feeling like he was leaning elsewhere, Florida pulled itself out of the running for Fields by accepting a verbal commitment from another quarterback over the summer, and Fields appeared to narrow his choices to the Georgia, FSU, Auburn and LSU. 

The Peach State native visited Georgia five times since mid-July -- including twice in September -- and has now decided to make Athens his official home. His sister previously committed to play softball for Georgia, though the Fields family contends that was not a factor in the quarterback's decision-making.

Fields received a 100 in the 247Sports rating system, tying the highest rating ever for a quarterback, and near-perfect 0.9998 in the 247Sports Composite, the industry's most comprehensive and unbiased prospect rankings system, one which calculates players' rankings based on a variety of recruiting services.

While there is no such thing as a "sure thing" when it comes to high school prospects translating their talents to the collegiate game, Fields is considered as close to one as there can be. He has maintained that he does not expect to be a Day 1 starter for the team of his choice, but his other-worldly talent will surely command at least the opportunity.

"This is the best high school quarterback I've ever covered and that's not a statement I've ever made before," said Barton Simmons, 247Sports' director of scouting. "I think he's a transcendent talent with a national championship up his sleeve. In today's game, where athleticism at the quarterback position is at a premium, Fields is the perfect blend of size and speed as an athlete and total control as a passer."

That's what makes Fields' commitment to Georgia so interesting as the Bulldogs presently have two top-tier underclassmen quarterbacks on their roster.

Sophomore Jacob Eason is a former five-star prospect and the No. 5 overall player in the Class of 2016, who started as a true freshman but has lost his job due to injury this season. Freshman Jake Fromm, a four-star recruit and the No. 44 player in the Class of 2017, has held on to the job from Eason and may keep it for the remainder of the season if he continues playing at his current level.

With Fields in tow, Georgia now has 16 total commits for the Class of 2018, including two five-star pledges, and now possesses the No. 11 overall class per the 247Sports Team Rankings.

What's next for Justin Fields? And how will he impact recruiting for the Bulldogs? Visit Dawgs247 for the latest, including breaking football recruiting news and Crystal Ball projections all from the team that's been reporting on the Bulldogs for the last 20 years.