There’s no question Julian Fleming had higher ambitions for his Ohio State career after coming to Columbus as the nation’s No. 1 wide receiver prospect in the class of 2020.
Injuries did most of the work to derail his progress, primarily shoulder ailments. When it seemed he may be finding his footing in 2022, catching 34 passes for 533 yards and six touchdowns, his numbers dipped to 26 receptions, 270 yards and no scores in 2023.
With one year of eligibility remaining thanks to a COVID-19 waiver, Fleming found a new home in his old home state of Pennsylvania, and as football season nears, Penn State is hoping Fleming will catalyze the program’s own fresh start at the wide receiver position.
“He’s a veteran guy that’s played in this conference, he knows what it’s all about,” Penn State coach James Franklin said at Big Ten Media Days Wednesday. “We’ve got a ton of history with him and his family, recruited him very heavily out of high school. But he’s thriving. He’s very comfortable, he’s very confident. He really came, got on campus (and) like most guys should do, kept his mouth shut, worked, earned everybody’s respect through that first and now he’s really developing into a leader for us.”
Penn State had issues finding weapons on the outside for Drew Allar to throw the ball to last season. It’s part of the reason the Nittany Lions finished 79th nationally with 215 passing yards per game and 82nd in completion percentage at 59.6%.
“Receiver has been the big question mark really since last year,” Franklin said. “We’ve got a ton of confidence in that room, those guys have got a huge chip on their shoulder. Back to the question earlier about Julian Fleming and the guys in that room, they’ve had a great summer and we’ve got a ton of confidence in what they’re gonna do this year. We’re gonna have to play well early on, build that confidence and carry that confidence throughout the rest of the season.”
Only one PSU wideout, Keandre Lambert-Smith, finished the year with at least 250 receiving yards. Lambert-Smith, who paced the team with 53 receptions and 673 yards, transferred to Auburn this offseason.
Penn State was in desperate need of veteran wideouts and Fleming footed the bill. With only a trio of three-star prospects signed at the position from the Nittany Lions’ 2024 recruiting class and no other transfers at the spot, Fleming almost by default must be counted on to lead the position in State College.
“He’s a guy that has a lot of experience and a lot of Big Ten football under his belt,” Penn State tight end Tyler Warren said. “It’s good for that receiver room, they can learn from a guy like him and he has a lot to bring to the table and I think he’s done a really good job.”
Warren was the team’s second-leading pass catcher in 2023 with 422 yards. Behind him at third and fourth were fellow tight end Theo Johnson and running back Nicholas Singleton, followed finally by a wide receiver in Dante Cephas who caught 246 yards worth of passes last year. Cephas joined Lambert-Smith in transferring after the season, leaving for Kansas State.
To find Penn State’s top returning wide receiver you have to scroll to sixth on its receiving leaderboard to find Harrison Wallace III, who hauled in 19 receptions for 228 yards and one touchdown in eight games.
So Fleming is not only going to be counted on to exceed his previous production but he’s looked at as a leader who can elevate others to do the same. For their part, his teammates are seeing that ability in practice.
“Julian, I’ve seen a lot of things,” Penn State safety Jaylen Reed said. “First off, he has a great character. He brings a lot of leadership qualities to the room. Then on the field, he’s a real physical player. He’s a great blocker, he catches the ball very strong, runs good routes. He’s going to be a great addition to our team this year.”
"He’s thriving. He’s very comfortable, he’s very confident."– James Franklin on Julian Fleming
Fleming will try and do all those things while learning a new offense, but that’s at least a strife he shares with his new teammates since Penn State hired a new offensive coordinator this offseason in former Kansas OC Andy Kotelnicki. The Jayhawks’ offense finished 17th in scoring, 21st in total yardage and 55th in passing under his guidance in 2023.
“(Fleming’s) maturity, he’s been able to handle all of it, there hasn’t been a lul or anything,” Warren said. “He hasn’t really been behind because it was a new offense for all of us. He’s on the same page as everybody and he’s been really good and I think he’s going to have a good year for us.”
The former Buckeye is arriving at Penn State with plenty of motivation by all accounts, and both he and the team are going to need it to have any threat of a passing attack in 2024.
“His improvement from the end of spring until now, he is healthy and lean and explosive and fast right now,” Franklin said. “And just from the feedback from the players over the summer, has really done a nice job. Looking at all the metrics and the numbers from our strength staff, he’s in a really good position. I think he’s got a huge chip on his shoulder and is excited about the opportunity at Penn State.”
