The Nittany Lions are getting their first player from the transfer portal in the 2024 cycle.
Though it seemed like it dragged on for months after the expectation, WR Julian Fleming officially announced his intent to transfer from Ohio State to Penn State on Wednesday.
BREAKING: Former Ohio State WR Julian Fleming has Committed to Penn State, he tells @on3sports
The 6’2 210 WR was ranked as the No. 3 Recruit in the 2020 Class (No. 1 WR)
Will have 1 year of eligibility remaining https://t.co/k4J77MbIgp pic.twitter.com/USZk9oJrgy
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 3, 2024
Fleming may see a rough reaction from some of the Penn State crowd. A PA native, fans were not pleased when the former five-star chose the rival Buckeyes over the hometown team.
Despite his billing as a five-star recruit, Fleming has spent four years at Ohio State buried on the depth chart. He’s operated as the team’s third receiver, but hasn’t received more playing time than that in his career there.
Overall, he’s recorded 990 yards and seven touchdowns on 80 receptions.
For Fleming, transferring to Penn State gives him the opportunity to compete and be “the guy” and use his final year of eligibility seeing the field (and targets) far more often to get himself into position to be drafted.
For Penn State, the need is glaring. They currently still have KeAndre Lambert-Smith as a good option, but have yet to see any of the other receivers on their roster step up in game situations consistently. They hope that Fleming will be able to help elevate the offense of new coordinator Andy Kotelnicki.
It certainly seems likely that this will not be the last move that James Franklin and his staff make with the portal.
