Ross Hodge, West Virginia Considering Medical Redshirt for Forward Jackson Fields

WVU may shut down the veteran forward for the remainder of the season.

Dec 3, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers forward Jackson Fields (15) dunks during the first half against the Coppin State Eagles at Hope Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

After missing the start of the season recovering from a wrist injury, West Virginia senior forward Jackson Fields made his Mountaineer debut on November 30th against Mercyhurst. He posted back-to-back nine-point games to begin his season and even scored seven to go along with four rebounds in losses to Ohio State and Wake Forest.

Since the start of Big 12 play, his minutes have evaporated. He saw minimal action against Iowa State, Cincinnati, and Houston, and did not play against Colorado, Arizona State, or Arizona.

On Monday afternoon, head coach Ross Hodge addressed the significant drop in minutes and revealed that shutting him down is a possibility.

“No setbacks or nothing wrong with him, per se. I think it’s been a combination of Harlan (Obioha) has played really well in Big 12 play, and obviously (Brenen) Lorient has been good in certain situations. And because of who we’ve played, we’ve decided to play Chance (Moore) at the four at times a little more. He (Jackson Fields) did come back and give you that big thrust early, but he missed a lot of time, and he still is trying to get all the way back from the surgery that he had. Some of it is just trying to get his grip strength back and his arm…there was no restrictions from a basketball standpoint, but he was still dealing with some limitations in the weight room and what he can do in there.

"Trying to work him back into it while being mindful that he probably is at the threshold of playing in too many games to receive a medical redshirt. We haven’t made any decisions on that. There’s no finalities, but there’s an awareness that if he plays in a few more games than that option is completely off the table, so we are being conscious about that decision right now. So, just trying to see where his minutes could come, where he can help us, can he get 100% comfortable, and if not, if it’s two or three minutes a night, is that worth him burning a year of eligibility?”

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