Former top wide receiver prospect Julian Fleming set to join Penn State
According to a report, Fleming, the former Ohio State wideout and Pennsylvania native, will remain in the Big Ten to play out his final season in Happy Valley.
Penn State made a splash in the transfer portal, adding a former in-state star to a position of dire need.
Julian Fleming, a five-star recruit in 2020, has committed to the Nittany Lions after four seasons at Ohio State. Once rated the nation’s No. 1 wide receiver prospect and No. 4 high school player overall by 247Sports, Fleming nearly committed to Penn State coach James Franklin’s program four years ago.
The news was first reported by On3 Sports.
Instead, he joined the rival Buckeyes, with whom he tallied 79 receptions for 963 yards and seven touchdowns over 38 games. Fleming saw a significant drop in nearly every statistical category from 2022 to 2023 and failed to see the end zone in his lone year with former Buckeyes quarterback Kyle McCord.
Fleming has one season of eligibility remaining. He is from Catawissa, near Bloomsburg.
Despite his inefficient 2023 season, it’s believed Fleming will be a major improvement for a Penn State offense that lacked a true top receiver in the first season under quarterback Drew Allar. The Nittany Lions also lost one of their top targets, Dante Cephas, to the transfer portal on Wednesday morning. The status of leading receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith is unclear after he was targeted just once in Saturday’s Peach Bowl.
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