New Penn State pick logged in On3's Recruiting Prediction Machine
Penn State is closing in on adding a second player via the transfer portal. After picking up a commitment from offensive tackle Alan Herron on Monday, James Franklin and his staff have been working hard to add wide receivers that could make an immediate impact during the 2024 season.
Now, our sources have indicated that they’re expected to do so soon, with former Ohio State wide receiver Julian Fleming expected to announce that he’ll play his final season at Penn State. Because of that, I logged a new prediction for the Nittany Lions to land Fleming on Friday morning.
For Blue White Illustrated subscribers, this news shouldn’t be a surprise. Last Friday, BWI was the first to report that Fleming took an unofficial visit to Penn State the prior day, Dec. 7. BWI publisher Sean Fitz followed that up with another report Thursday morning, Dec. 14, that the Nittany Lions had emerged as the team to beat.
“Ohio State wide receiver Julian Fleming’s visit to Nebraska is in the books, and it does not appear that the Huskers are in line for his services,” Fitz wrote. “We’ve been walking the line waiting for things to play out, but right now, I believe that Penn State is in the driver’s seat.”
Fitz added, “He’s kept things intentionally quiet this time around, so don’t expect much smoke to come from the Fleming camp, but Penn State would be my pick right now.”
Since then, that report has been confirmed by various reporters at multiple outlets, including On3’s transfer portal expert Pete Nakos. He logged a pick for the Nittany Lions in On3’s RPM Thursday evening.
Recapping Flemming’s Career
Coming out of Southern Columbia High School in Catawissa, Pa., Fleming is a familiar name to Nittany Lion fans. A former five-star prospect, Fleming visited Penn State more than a dozen times from 2017 to 2019 before ultimately narrowing his list of schools to Penn State, Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and Ohio State in May 2019.
Of course, Nittany Lion fans know how everything played out.
During his time at Ohio State, Fleming played in eight games in both his freshman and sophomore seasons before becoming a starter in 2022. He had his best season in 2022, totaling 34 receptions for 533 yards and six touchdowns in 11 games. However, Fleming’s stats dropped in 2023, totaling 26 receptions for 270 yards and no touchdowns. Overall, in four seasons, he totaled 80 receptions for 990 yards and seven touchdowns for the Buckeyes.
Because he never redshirted, Fleming has two years of remaining eligibility to play one. Pro Football Focus gave him an overall offensive grade of 67.4 during his 2022 season. He finished 2023 with an overall grade of 61.4.
According to On3’s Transfer Portal Industry Rankings – which combines the transfer portal rankings for On3, 247Sports and Rivals for a cumulative grade – Fleming is the 61st-ranked player in the portal presently and the 13th-ranked wide receiver.
