STATE COLLEGE — Julian Fleming slipped up a few weeks ago.
Fleming, Penn State’s high-profile wide receiver transfer from Ohio State, was signing a young fan’s jersey. Next to his signature, Fleming inked the No. 4, just as he has for years. That was his number at Ohio State, but Fleming took on the No. 3 jersey when he transferred to Penn State in January.
Just another change to which the former Buckeye has to get accustomed.
“Honestly, the weirdest thing is seeing myself in blue and white all the time,” Fleming said with a laugh. “The first time I saw myself I was like, ‘Whoa.’ … I’m still getting used to it a little bit.”
It’s been a surreal few months for Fleming, who recently sat down for a one-on-one interview with PennLive. The blue and white, the Lasch Building, Beaver Stadium. It’s all foreign and yet so familiar for the Southern Columbia star who almost came to Penn State five years ago.
Fleming’s story is well-documented but nevertheless intriguing. The former five-star prospect chose the rival Buckeyes over James Franklin and Penn State.
Fleming, after being coveted on the recruiting trail out of Southern Columbia High School by the Nittany Lions, committed to Ohio State in May 2019. He saw what Penn State had to offer and opted for Columbus.
Now he’s back and not just for a visit. Fleming, after four years at Ohio State, transferred to Penn State this winter to finish out his collegiate career. He has one year of eligibility remaining, and he intends on “maximizing” it in Happy Valley.
Fleming, especially with the exit of KeAndre Lambert-Smith, has an opportunity to take over as the Nittany Lions’ No. 1 receiver.
The decision
Deafening boos rained down on the visitor’s tunnel at Beaver Stadium when Penn State hosted Ohio State two years ago. Fleming wasn’t spared that. If anything, he was a primary target.
“I got a couple chants that were pretty funny,” Fleming said. “They 100% would not make it into the story.”
For four years, Fleming lived the life of the enemy. Sure, there were reasonable fans and those in his community who wished him well at Ohio State. But others didn’t take kindly to him leaving the Keystone State to suit up for the scarlet and grey.
When Fleming entered the transfer portal, some wondered if there was too much emotional baggage, too much scar tissue for him and Penn State to unite. Fleming was only 18 years old when he chose the Buckeyes. And yet, he endured the brunt of a small but vocal faction of the Penn State fan base that was quick to call him a “traitor.”
Fleming looks back on his time at Ohio State with a heavy dose of perspective. He “developed as a receiver, as a leader, as a person, as a man in every sense” in Columbus. For that, he’s grateful. But it’s impossible for Fleming to ignore that he wouldn’t be at Penn State without the trials and tribulations he experienced with the Buckeyes.
Fleming came to Ohio State as the No. 4 prospect in the 2020 recruiting class. He was the No. 1 player in Pennsylvania and the top receiver in the country. Every school in the country — Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, etc. — wanted him. But that didn’t guarantee him anything.
Fleming’s freshman year, the covid-shortened 2020 season, was “a big wash.” He started in the Big Ten championship game, but Fleming hardly contributed with future first-round picks Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson commanding the ball.
Olave eschewed the NFL Draft and returned for the 2021 season, much to Fleming’s surprise. Wilson had another year left, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, another future first-rounder, emerged. That, plus an offseason surgery, derailed his sophomore campaign before it ever took off.
Fleming noted that Jameson Williams — later an All-American at Alabama and a first-round pick — transferring out after the 2020 season summed up Ohio State’s receiver room at the time.
“It was an overwhelming amount of talent,” Fleming, 23, said. “There was no way to possibly get everyone in the rotation when the guys who were starting were starting.”
Fleming dealt with two more injuries before the 2022 season but finished strong. Despite ceding time to another dynamic duo — Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka — Fleming tallied 34 catches for 533 yards and six touchdowns, his best output in an Ohio State uniform. He underwent another offseason surgery in 2023 before seeing his pass-catching role diminish.
The move
Fleming walked into a conference room at Penn State’s Morgan Academic Center and placed two phones on the table. One phone is for those in his inner circle to contact him. He keeps that number close to his chest. The other phone is for everyone else.
The latter was ringing off the hook Dec. 4, 2023. Fleming, after announcing he was in the transfer portal, was on the phone for nearly 12 hours with college coaches across the country. He described the experience as a “frenzy” and a “mess.”
“It was a lot,” Fleming recalled. “It took me back to high school recruiting. I was like, I don’t miss this. I don’t miss this at all.”
Fleming’s transfer telethon came a day after he informed Ohio State head coach Ryan Day and wide receivers coach Brian Hartline that was leaving.
Fleming started thinking about the portal after the 2023 regular season ended with a loss to Michigan, or, as Fleming still calls it, “that team up north.” He had “mature, to the point conversations” with Day and Hartline, returned home to ponder his future and went back to Columbus to deliver the verdict to his coaches.
“I shook everyone’s hand, and that was it,” Fleming said. He added that when he entered the portal, he didn’t have a specific destination in mind. He didn’t talk to any coaches or schools prior to leaving Ohio State.
“It was kind of just me betting on myself.”
Among the endless activity on Fleming’s phone on Dec. 4 was a text from Franklin, the man who feverishly recruited him a few years earlier. Fleming bucked Franklin’s “best in PA stay in PA” recruiting mantra once before. But the two connected, picked up where they left off and stayed in touch.
Fleming narrowed his options relatively quickly.
He kept things quiet. But Fleming and his family — his mom, sister, grandparents, aunt and uncle — made their way to State College to meet with Franklin and his staff. It felt familiar to Fleming. But this visit was different from the dozen or so he made in high school.
“You can’t sugarcoat stuff anymore,” Fleming said of the differences between the high school and portal recruiting processes. “When you’re a high school kid, a lot of these coaches are salesmen, and they’re good at what they do. That’s why they get the recruits that they do from everywhere in the country. That’s why now it was more, let’s sit here and have a conversation. And it was really good and really productive. It was grown-up talk.
“When I did these visits, they’re like, ‘You want to do a photoshoot?’ and I’m like ‘No. Not even a little bit. Let’s get down to it. Where do you see me working in the offense? Where are we connecting here?’ ”
Fleming connected best with the Nittany Lions. He rekindled the relationship he had with Franklin. He sat with quarterback Drew Allar and new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki and went over schemes, plays and film cut-ups.
He felt most comfortable in Happy Valley.
On Jan. 3, Fleming announced on Instagram he was transferring to Penn State.
And the music that accompanied the social media post was fitting: “I’m coming home.”
The last dance
Injuries dominated Fleming’s past offseasons. Believe it or not, this was the first spring camp Fleming has made it through in his college career without getting hurt, something that he doesn’t take for granted.
Fleming doesn’t take the opportunity he has in Happy Valley for granted, either. He insists he wasn’t promised anything by Franklin or receivers coach Marques Hagans upon arrival.
“I had the mindset where I wanted to come in, keep my head down and work and gradually earn the respect of people and build relationships along the way,” Fleming said. “Everyone was welcoming, so building relationships was easy. But earning respect was important to me.”
Penn State’s receiver room needed Fleming’s “seasoned approach.” It also desperately needs him to produce, to be the kind of player many thought he’d be coming out of high school.
It’s no secret Penn State struggled through the air last season. The Nittany Lions ranked 109th in the FBS in passing plays of 20-plus yards. Everyone was to blame, including Allar and fired offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich. But the receivers didn’t create enough separation or make enough plays to fend off the scrutiny that came their way.
Fleming won’t solve all of the team’s passing woes. The Nittany Lions probably have to hit the portal again this spring to add more talent. But Fleming’s presence and the potential he still holds as a veteran is tantalizing. And if he can unlock that, if he can be who Penn State needs him to be, it would be one heck of a final chapter to close the book on Fleming’s college career.
“I want to be the best version of me that I can bring as a player and as a teammate. I want to grab every opportunity,” Fleming said. “Obviously, I want another Big Ten championship, and I want to compete for a national championship. But I want overall success.”
