Fields Jr. Already Doing Big Things in the Little Apple
Sep 07, 2026 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
One late-June afternoon, new Kansas State running backs coach Cory Patterson, hired by K-State head coach Collin Klein on December 30, 2025, lounged in a black swivel chair in a spacious office with a balcony that hung off the edge of the Vanier Family Football Complex, and the 45-year-old who traveled from Oklahoma State to be a part of the Wildcats, peered across the football field that would shake during the season opener on September 5.
The topic at hand? Rodney Fields Jr., the 5-foot-9, 193-pound sophomore running back who followed Patterson and brought an impressive resume to Manhattan. Fields led Oklahoma State in yards from scrimmage with 890 total yards in 2025. Fields' 614 rushing yards ranked sixth among Power 4 freshmen in 2025, and it included a career-high 163-yard outburst against Cincinnati, and his 276 receiving yards ranked third among Power 4 freshmen running backs. Fields finished sixth in the Big 12 with 98.89 all-purpose yards per game. He did this while recording 124 carries and 28 receptions in nine games, including eight starts, last season in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
"Skill wise," Patterson says, inching forward in his chair, "this kid can make you miss in a phone booth."
Now K-State fans know what Patterson was talking about.
Although junior Joe Jackson is back after a stellar season-ending stretch to last year and K-State brought in Oregon fifth-year player Jay Harris, who dazzled for the Ducks in the 2025 College Football Playoff, Fields by virtue of his body of work in practice, earned the start at running back for the Wildcats during their 71-3 win over Nicholls — the most points ever scored by a K-State team in a season opener.
"When we went live work, Rodney's ability to make guys miss, find extra yards and compete with the football in his hands was incredibly good," Klein said. "Every time we went live and tackled to the ground, he showed it in practice, and he showed it tonight."
Fields led K-State with 14 carries for 101 yards and one touchdown, averaging 7.2 yards per carry, and punctuating his presence with a 26-yard touchdown in the second quarter that brought the sold-out stadium crowd of 51,719 to life.
"There was a little bit of jitters, but it was a good feeling," Fields said. "This is something new, so have fun. The touchdown? It's going to be a memory. I saw the cornerback froze, and I said, 'It's over with, I'm going to score this.' It was amazing."
On second-and-3 at the Nicholls 26-yard line, Fields took the handoff from senior quarterback Avery Johnson and rolled to his right, waiting for the offensive line to set up, as wide receiver Jaron Tibbs helped seal off defenders and allowed Fields passage to the outside. Once Fields found the edge, he was gone — outracing three defensive backs while gliding into the right corner of the end zone. Fields trotted behind the end zone, looking at the jubilant K-State fans as he glided by, and he placed his index finger to his face mask. Was Fields asking the crowd to quiet down? No. The gesture was to signify that he had silenced skeptics. He was telling the college football world to keep sleeping on him. Perhaps Fields could remain K-State's little secret.
But no, Fields, the first K-State newcomer to rush for 100 yards in a season opener since James Gilbert did so to open the 2019 season — a game also against Nicholls — will be a secret no longer.
"He has the trait of not being hit head-on," Patterson said. "It's going to be hard to tackle that guy. Him being a short guy – he's not small, he's short – and it's hard to get a clean shot on him. You rarely see anybody line him up. He has elite quickness in small spaces. He'll be good for us.
"When he's on the field, he has the chance to do something really special."
Johnson smiled wide in discussing Fields following his debut performance.
"The dude is electric," Johnson said. "I mean, he's special. When he gets the ball in his hands, his patience and being able to wait until things open up and hit the hole is fun to watch from a quarterback's perspective. I'm supposed to carry out my fake, but it's so fun to watch Rodney that I'll carry out my fake, and I'll look at the jumbotron and watch him go to work. He's a fun back to watch. He's just put his head down and has worked since he got here. It's good to see all his hard work come to fruition."
Football came easy to Fields from an early age, as the 8-year-old and native of Wright City, Oklahoma, became an instant threat, and fell in love with the game that would help shape his life.
"I didn't know much about football at the time, but I knew I could go out there and have fun," Fields said. "I was a kid and I was just running out there having fun. That gave me a lot of love for it. As I grew up, that love grew and grew."
His talent only continued to grow as well. He finished his high school career with more than 3,100 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards to go along with 54 touchdowns (43 rushing, 11 receiving), and he averaged 10.9 yards per carry. He rushed for 2,000 yards and 26 touchdowns his junior season at Southeast High School. He rushed for 1,156 yards and 18 touchdowns and had 12 catches for 257 yards and two touchdowns during his senior season at Del City High School, helping the Eagles to a Class 5A District 3 Championship and a 5A state championship appearance with a 13-1 record.
"It was during my sophomore year that I was 100% sure that football could take me places," he said. "I went to a couple camps like Oklahoma State and realized that football could change my life with me just having fun. I took football serious."
As for Fields' decision to begin his college career at Oklahoma State?
"My pops passed away when I was little, and he was a big Oklahoma State fan," he said. "He had a car full of Oklahoma State stickers. I wanted to make a story."
There's a story to share all right, and Patterson has been a big part of it. When Fields entered the transfer portal on January 2 — three days after Patterson's hiring at K-State — Fields knew exactly where he was headed. And he was excited.
"Coach Patterson is my guy," Fields said. "He's like a family member, a father figure, and we spoke every day about his decision. He told me from the start that wherever he went we'd be together. When Coach Patterson got the job here, I knew where I wanted to be. Kansas State was a good place to play."
And now Fields is here already doing big things in the Little Apple.
"From the first time I met this kid, he's like a people-pleaser," Patterson said. "He wants to do it right. You can tell he has a rough background and there's a little bit of that chip on his shoulder there, but he freaking wants to do it right, and he's going to work his tail off. He is one of those dudes that every opportunity he gets he's going to play like it's his last one."
Now Fields has played his first game at K-State.
And he's eager to become even better.
"My goal, I'd say, is 1,000 yards this year and trying to be almost perfect with blocks, catching and running and making people miss," Fields said. "I want to be almost perfect. Coach Patterson and I will meet and talk about film and talk about getting better and what more I can do for next week.
"I'm just going to keep running the ball and just be me."
In his first game at K-State, he began creating an identity on a dangerous team that could go places this season.
"At the end of the day, it's football, so just go out there and play," Fields said. "This team can do damage in the Big 12. Seeing how hard we played and knowing we'll play hard against anybody, it gives us a lot of confidence."
But Fields is no secret. No more.
Patterson was right all along.
Skill wise, Fields can make defenders miss in a phone booth.
One late-June afternoon, new Kansas State running backs coach Cory Patterson, hired by K-State head coach Collin Klein on December 30, 2025, lounged in a black swivel chair in a spacious office with a balcony that hung off the edge of the Vanier Family Football Complex, and the 45-year-old who traveled from Oklahoma State to be a part of the Wildcats, peered across the football field that would shake during the season opener on September 5.
The topic at hand? Rodney Fields Jr., the 5-foot-9, 193-pound sophomore running back who followed Patterson and brought an impressive resume to Manhattan. Fields led Oklahoma State in yards from scrimmage with 890 total yards in 2025. Fields' 614 rushing yards ranked sixth among Power 4 freshmen in 2025, and it included a career-high 163-yard outburst against Cincinnati, and his 276 receiving yards ranked third among Power 4 freshmen running backs. Fields finished sixth in the Big 12 with 98.89 all-purpose yards per game. He did this while recording 124 carries and 28 receptions in nine games, including eight starts, last season in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
"Skill wise," Patterson says, inching forward in his chair, "this kid can make you miss in a phone booth."
Now K-State fans know what Patterson was talking about.
Although junior Joe Jackson is back after a stellar season-ending stretch to last year and K-State brought in Oregon fifth-year player Jay Harris, who dazzled for the Ducks in the 2025 College Football Playoff, Fields by virtue of his body of work in practice, earned the start at running back for the Wildcats during their 71-3 win over Nicholls — the most points ever scored by a K-State team in a season opener.
"When we went live work, Rodney's ability to make guys miss, find extra yards and compete with the football in his hands was incredibly good," Klein said. "Every time we went live and tackled to the ground, he showed it in practice, and he showed it tonight."
Fields led K-State with 14 carries for 101 yards and one touchdown, averaging 7.2 yards per carry, and punctuating his presence with a 26-yard touchdown in the second quarter that brought the sold-out stadium crowd of 51,719 to life.
"There was a little bit of jitters, but it was a good feeling," Fields said. "This is something new, so have fun. The touchdown? It's going to be a memory. I saw the cornerback froze, and I said, 'It's over with, I'm going to score this.' It was amazing."
On second-and-3 at the Nicholls 26-yard line, Fields took the handoff from senior quarterback Avery Johnson and rolled to his right, waiting for the offensive line to set up, as wide receiver Jaron Tibbs helped seal off defenders and allowed Fields passage to the outside. Once Fields found the edge, he was gone — outracing three defensive backs while gliding into the right corner of the end zone. Fields trotted behind the end zone, looking at the jubilant K-State fans as he glided by, and he placed his index finger to his face mask. Was Fields asking the crowd to quiet down? No. The gesture was to signify that he had silenced skeptics. He was telling the college football world to keep sleeping on him. Perhaps Fields could remain K-State's little secret.
But no, Fields, the first K-State newcomer to rush for 100 yards in a season opener since James Gilbert did so to open the 2019 season — a game also against Nicholls — will be a secret no longer.
"He has the trait of not being hit head-on," Patterson said. "It's going to be hard to tackle that guy. Him being a short guy – he's not small, he's short – and it's hard to get a clean shot on him. You rarely see anybody line him up. He has elite quickness in small spaces. He'll be good for us.
"When he's on the field, he has the chance to do something really special."
Johnson smiled wide in discussing Fields following his debut performance.
"The dude is electric," Johnson said. "I mean, he's special. When he gets the ball in his hands, his patience and being able to wait until things open up and hit the hole is fun to watch from a quarterback's perspective. I'm supposed to carry out my fake, but it's so fun to watch Rodney that I'll carry out my fake, and I'll look at the jumbotron and watch him go to work. He's a fun back to watch. He's just put his head down and has worked since he got here. It's good to see all his hard work come to fruition."
Football came easy to Fields from an early age, as the 8-year-old and native of Wright City, Oklahoma, became an instant threat, and fell in love with the game that would help shape his life.
"I didn't know much about football at the time, but I knew I could go out there and have fun," Fields said. "I was a kid and I was just running out there having fun. That gave me a lot of love for it. As I grew up, that love grew and grew."
His talent only continued to grow as well. He finished his high school career with more than 3,100 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards to go along with 54 touchdowns (43 rushing, 11 receiving), and he averaged 10.9 yards per carry. He rushed for 2,000 yards and 26 touchdowns his junior season at Southeast High School. He rushed for 1,156 yards and 18 touchdowns and had 12 catches for 257 yards and two touchdowns during his senior season at Del City High School, helping the Eagles to a Class 5A District 3 Championship and a 5A state championship appearance with a 13-1 record.
"It was during my sophomore year that I was 100% sure that football could take me places," he said. "I went to a couple camps like Oklahoma State and realized that football could change my life with me just having fun. I took football serious."
As for Fields' decision to begin his college career at Oklahoma State?
"My pops passed away when I was little, and he was a big Oklahoma State fan," he said. "He had a car full of Oklahoma State stickers. I wanted to make a story."
There's a story to share all right, and Patterson has been a big part of it. When Fields entered the transfer portal on January 2 — three days after Patterson's hiring at K-State — Fields knew exactly where he was headed. And he was excited.
"Coach Patterson is my guy," Fields said. "He's like a family member, a father figure, and we spoke every day about his decision. He told me from the start that wherever he went we'd be together. When Coach Patterson got the job here, I knew where I wanted to be. Kansas State was a good place to play."
And now Fields is here already doing big things in the Little Apple.
"From the first time I met this kid, he's like a people-pleaser," Patterson said. "He wants to do it right. You can tell he has a rough background and there's a little bit of that chip on his shoulder there, but he freaking wants to do it right, and he's going to work his tail off. He is one of those dudes that every opportunity he gets he's going to play like it's his last one."
Now Fields has played his first game at K-State.
And he's eager to become even better.
"My goal, I'd say, is 1,000 yards this year and trying to be almost perfect with blocks, catching and running and making people miss," Fields said. "I want to be almost perfect. Coach Patterson and I will meet and talk about film and talk about getting better and what more I can do for next week.
"I'm just going to keep running the ball and just be me."
In his first game at K-State, he began creating an identity on a dangerous team that could go places this season.
"At the end of the day, it's football, so just go out there and play," Fields said. "This team can do damage in the Big 12. Seeing how hard we played and knowing we'll play hard against anybody, it gives us a lot of confidence."
But Fields is no secret. No more.
Patterson was right all along.
Skill wise, Fields can make defenders miss in a phone booth.
Players Mentioned
RB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
WR
/ FootballSunday, September 06
Sunday, September 06
Sunday, September 06
Sunday, September 06
