As probably the most prized offensive recruit in his class, senior wide receiver Shay Fields arrived on campus in 2014 with big shoes to fill. Junior wideout Paul Richardson had just completed an All-Pac-12 First-Team campaign as one of the true lone bright spots on the 2013 edition of the Colorado Buffaloes. Richardson declared for the NFL Draft that summer, forgoing his senior year, and was drafted in the second round by the Seattle Seahawks.
Fields was forced into action right away. In fact, he became just the fifth true freshman to start a season opener on offense at Colorado, and only the second to do so at receiver. From the moment he stepped on the field, he has been an impact player and big part of CU’s offense. Now, four years later, Fields enters his own senior season within striking distance of one of his predecessors in the CU history books.
On CU’s all-time receiving charts, he ranks sixth in receptions (144), ninth in touchdown receptions (17) and 10th in yards (1,929). His 33 career starts are the most of any player on the team and he leads all Pac-12 returning players in career receiving yards.Lindy’s College Football ranked him as the 15th best wide receiver on its national top 100 player ratings. Athlon Sports selected him as a preseason second-team All-Pac-12 performer while Lindy’s College Football placed him on its second-team.