For most recruits, counting the number of times they’ve been to games at this school or that one is fairly easy. They just think back to visits they’ve taken and go from there. But for Monticello’s Malachi Fields, that isn’t the case at all, at least not when it comes to UVa.

Long before he was a 6-foot-4, 200-pound recruit, he was a Virginia fan who made regular treks games and attended plenty of tailgates (including one hosted by the same guys who bring you the CavsCorner Podcast).

Now, he’s gone from just a fan in the stands to a future Wahoo on the field following his commitment last month.

“It kind of doesn’t seem real, honestly,” Fields told CavsCorner. “It’s exciting, obviously. But then I’m like, ‘Is it real?’ Because it definitely does feel like a dream to me, honestly. It’s just a dream. That’s all I can say. It’s a dream that became real.”

Fields, who stars at quarterback for the Mustangs, has long thought he could play at this level. He hoped maybe it would be in Charlottesville. The idea that he would, though, didn’t really begin to take shape until fairly recently.

“I started hearing from UVa after my sophomore year,” he recalled. “So, it was like a year or so after I started I started hearing from other schools. Coach (Marques) Hagans was the first to reach out to me. Becoming a recruit and going from being just a fan, that was just so awesome. Just awesome. From me going to games and seeing the players on the field to then being able to go as a recruit, it was just awesome man.

“I always wanted to be like them, you know?,” Fields added. “I always wanted to be out on that field. To get that opportunity to do that, it was just awesome. I know I keep saying that but that’s what it was and still is.”

The offer from Hagans and Bronco Mendenhall came not long before his commitment last month, during a walk back to John Paul Jones Arena during a junior day event.

“I was so excited, I was just smiling so hard trying to keep my cool,” Fields explained. “I was talking to Coach Hagans while we were walking to the basketball game so I was trying to just keep my cool. But it was hard. I was so, so excited when he said that. I’ll never forget it.

“He said that they thought I would be a perfect fit for UVa because of my abilities and the fact that I’m willing to work hard,” he added. “Then he said they were going to offer me a scholarship to the University of Virginia. At that moment, it felt so surreal man. I was just trying to keep calm.”

Given his level of familiarity with the program and the school and the area, it certainly would’ve made sense if Fields had pulled the trigger right there and committed. And he admitted that it was hard not to say yes in that moment.

“I knew for me that I had to take some time and think about it and talk to my family,” he explained. “Just because you’re a big fan doesn’t always mean that school is the right fit, right time. That wasn’t an issue for me, though, because I knew that’s where I wanted to be. I just had to take some time and talk things through.”

So when he eventually decided to commit, that made things all the more clear.

“I was actually on the phone with my parents too, so they heard everything,” Fields said of committing. “My dad was so excited when it happened. My mom was smiling hard but I think a part of her was nervous because she wanted me to maybe take some time and take some other visits. But I told her, ‘Nah mom, this is it. This is it for me.’

“I was on the phone with Coach Mendenhall and he was excited too,” Fields added. “He told me he couldn’t wait to text the staff and let them know the good news and they were going to celebrate.”

Given the dead period imposed by the NCAA due to the coronavirus pandemic, a critical time for 2021recruits to take visits is off the table. While that was a concern, Fields said, it didn’t play much of a role in his decision timeframe.

“Yeah, it is unfortunate but this was the right time for me,” he said. “For me, it was everything that I thought it was. When I went on that visit, it was just everything they had told me it would be. It was everything Coach Mendenhall had said. Talking about how much they work and how they prepare you for life after football. The thing about them is that you get the feeling that they really do want to be a part of your journey and help you grow. It’s about more than football. It’s on and off the field. They want you to be great and they want to help you however they can. I felt like that’s what I needed…I was actually talking to Coach Hagans about possibly committing before all this happened. So, to me, it was just something that needed to be done.”

Though he is excited about the prospect of playing so close to home, he admits that he didn’t always see it that way.

“It’s awesome,’ Fields said. “My family gets to come see me play and come to the games. It’s great that I’ll be right here and I won’t be far away. The kids I go to school with, they’ll be able to see me play. That’ll be great too.

“But there are guys who don’t want to play so close to home and that was kind of me at first,” he added with a laugh. “I’m not going to lie. That was definitely me at first. But I realized after a while that I’m going to be there and it’s its own little world, so I’m going to be alright.”

It’s common for recruits to go on visits and try hard to envision themselves out on that field, wearing those colors. That was never a problem for Fields.

“I thought ‘This could be me one day’,” he said. “I knew I would have to put in the work but that could be me, running out on that field, feeling that atmosphere. Everything. It could be me.”

One wrinkle, of course, is that he’ll be moving positions and going from QB to wide receiver once he arrives on Grounds. That’s a position change that he says he’s very excited for down the line.

“That’s actually what I always wanted since I was little,” Fields said. “Since I was little, I’ve always wanted to play wide receiver. When I got to high school, my coach just saw something different from me and that’s what my team needed. That’s alway been my go-to position, my favorite position. That’s the spot I want to play in college. It’s another part of this and why it’s such a dream come true.

“I’m definitely going to have to learn from others when I get there,” he added. “But once I get the hang of it and everything, I want to be my own player honestly. I want to go out there and do what I do.”

It helps that Hagans will be the one guiding him not only through that transition but throughout his time in college.

“He’s such a good dude,” Fields said of his future position coach. “He’s cool. He’s always talking to me about things and how he’s always going to be there for me no matter what. He’s going to help me both on and off the field and it feels great to know I’ve got someone like that in my corner. It’s a real family and that’s awesome. It’s almost like he’s family already.”

As time passes, Fields said he becomes more and more sure of his decision even if it still seems like a dream to have his path laid out in front of him.

“It’s exciting and any time I try to talk about it, I’m at a loss for words,” he said simply. “It’s amazing. I’m so, so excited.”

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