Julian Fleming emerging as important player for Penn State
Penn State missed out on Julian Fleming when he was a highly-touted recruit out of Pennsylvania. The five-star ultimately chose Ohio State after a long, drawn out process that left many fans with a sour taste in their mouths.
However, as a graduate transfer, Fleming decided to come back home and become a member of the Nittany Lions for his final year of college football.
With there being a clear need for upgrades in the wide receiver room heading into the 2024-25 season, this was met with a lot of excitement considering he can immediately have an impact.
Early reviews coming out of spring camp have been great.
“The guys love him. He’s been awesome as a teammate. He’s been really coachable. I think he has been able to kind of move on, we’ve moved on. There’s been no talk about the past. He just been really good,” James Franklin said according to Tyler Donohue of 247Sports.
There was some uneasiness going into the second recruitment of Fleming based on what had transpired previously, but Franklin decided to personally reach out when the former coveted wide receiver entered his name into the portal.
Fleming talked about how both sides have grown and there was no issue building relationships the second time around.
As a fifth-year senior, he’ll be expected to have a leadership role within the locker room, something that the current players are noting he’s already starting to do.
“I’ve been nothing but impressed with Julian. He handles everything the right way and approaches everything like a pro … And he’s also bringing the young guys along. I think he’s a great mentor for all them,” Drew Allar said back in February.
That’s a positive sign coming from the other position that the receiver will be working closely with.
But Allar isn’t the only one who Fleming has impressed so far.
“He’ll make a great impact and (be) a great leader. I think he could be a great leader for us. Like he does everything right. … Just the way he approaches practice, anything he does, it’s always the same. You never see him down bad. He’s always got good posture,” Kaytron Allen added.
While Fleming will ultimately be judged by what he accomplishes on the field, his impact could be felt more than just the dozen or so games played on Saturdays.
The early reviews are a great sign that this new marriage is going to work for the upcoming season, and his presence could help the Nittany Lions develop their young receivers into becoming top-level performers as well.
