Julian Fleming’s last reception as a Buckeye came with just three plays remaining in Ohio State’s 30-24 loss to Michigan in both teams’ regular season finale last Nov. 25. It wasn’t pretty.
The Buckeyes had exactly 60 seconds to drive 81 yards and score a touchdown, to tie The Game in The Big House. On the third play of the drive, Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord found Fleming deep down the middle of the field, for a 22-yard gain.
Then, Fleming fumbled the football.
Ohio State teammate Emeka Egbuke recovered the ball, but on the very next play McCord — shaky all day…make that all season… long — threw his second pick. After a kneel-down by Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy, the game was over.
And so was Fleming’s Ohio State football career.
It was a bad day all around for Fleming, who had three catches, and the Buckeyes and McCord. Michigan, 12-0, would head to the Big Ten championship game, and eventually win the national title. Ohio State would head back to Columbus, losers of three straight vs. TTUN.
Fleming and McCord would head to the portal.
For Fleming, it was a disappointing end to an Ohio State career that began with such promise. Beset by injuries and facing an uber-deep WR room, he never had a true breakout season. In 2023, despite playing the second-most snaps at wide receiver (552) behind superstar Marvin Harrison Jr., Fleming had just 26 receptions for 273 yards. And nary a touchdown catch. (In 2022, he had six TDs and 533 yards.)
To that point, after committing to Ohio State on May 31, 2019, Fleming had been a Buckeye for 1,638 days, four seasons, 79 receptions for 963 yards and seven touchdowns. But, he knew then, the Columbus ship had sailed. He fairly quickly opted out of the Cotton Bowl to decide on his next course of action.
The NFL was a possibility. So was another college program. After four seasons in The Horseshoe, Fleming knew he needed a change of scenery.
“I’ve been lucky enough to build relationships with some people who know people in the higher-ups, and had conversations with them,” Fleming said. “And I have people I could talk to at Ohio State. I thought and talked to my family to see what we really wanted to do. Together we kind of talked about it.
“And it was a 50/50 shot between going [to the NFL] and transferring. I just felt like I still needed one more year, to really prove to myself who I am and to try to prove to other people who I am. So that’s why I was really excited to come here.”
PENN STATE, AT LAST
After some soul-searching and a few campus visits — to Penn State and Nebraska, among them — on Jan. 3 Fleming announced he was transferring to PSU for his final season of eligibility. It was a homecoming of sorts.
Fleming grew up in Elysburg, 88 miles to the east of Beaver Stadium, and went to Southern Columbia Area High School, where was a five-star recruit, then PA Gatorade Player of the Year and ESPN’s No. 1 high school player in the Class of 2020.
He spurned an all-out recruiting assault from Penn State — James Franklin wore Fleming’s No. 4 jersey while watching Fleming on the sidelines of a high school game. But, in the end, he picked Ohio State. Until, almost five years later, when he…finally…picked Penn State.
“Right when I hit the portal, [Franklin] messaged me and we talked,” Fleming said. “Then we built it from there and I came on a visit.”
When Fleming visited the Penn State campus, he met with quarterback Drew Allar and new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. On Tuesday night, Fleming had good scouting reports on both:
On Kotelnicki: “Great guy, great coach. He expects a lot from us. The offense has obviously changed a little bit. But we’re growing, and we are getting better and better. I think it’s really going to be great for us this season.”
On Allar: “I talk to Drew every day, We have a good relationship. We talk in the locker room, we talk in the weight room. It’s definitely been constantly building and building. It’s going to continue to grow.”
FLEMING’S BEST ABILITY IS…
And so, there Fleming was on Tuesday, inside Holuba Hall, following the Nittany Lions’ practice and surrounded by nearly three dozen reporters. It was his first official press conference in a Penn State uniform, nine practices into his first and last season in Happy Valley.
It is a new beginning, in a wide receiver room desperately in need of stability and maturity and savvy and experience. Fleming is seeking a final season that is both drama-free and injury-free.
While he was at Ohio State, the Buckeyes were 40-6 — and beat Penn State four times. But Fleming was never the No. 1 or No. 2 receiver, and over the past two seasons definitely took a backseat to Harrison. What, he was asked, was the most frustrating part of his career in Columbus?
“The injuries,” Fleming quickly replied. “There’s been a lot that has worn on me. But there’s no growth without adversity. So I definitely credit all my injuries to the person I am today, and the grown-up I am today. Injuries definitely played a big part. Obviously, they stink when they happen, but they built me into who I am right now.
“I don’t think there’s a season I’ve played that I’ve gone through the whole season 100%. My junior year I missed the first two or three games. I played banged up last year for awhile. It’s just how the game goes. Football is about the best ability being availability.”
For Penn State, at last, Julian Fleming is now available.
