Ohio State Football is facing a familiar opponent in today’s game against Penn State as they go up against former recruit Julian Fleming. Fleming, who made the switch to Penn State in January, has been a key player for the Nittany Lions this season, starting in all their games. So far, he has accumulated 10 catches for 148 yards with no touchdowns in seven games. His standout performance this season was against Kent State where he made two catches for 60 yards on September 21st.
Having started for the Buckeyes in the previous two seasons, Fleming had to overcome shoulder injuries early in his career. During his time at Ohio State, he managed to make 60 catches for 803 yards and six touchdowns between 2023 and 2022. Hailing from Catawissa, Pennsylvania, Fleming had initially considered Penn State as a finalist during his recruitment process.
As a five-star wide receiver in the 2020 class and ranked as the number one wide receiver in the country, Fleming’s decision to transfer was influenced by family reasons. He mentioned, “My family’s there. Grandfather is getting older and my sisters are growing up. So them being able to only be an hour away and come to all the games was important to me.”
Penn State coach James Franklin acknowledged the significance of this game for Fleming, stating, “Whenever you play an opponent that a member of our team came from that school, then for me to sit here and say that it’s not a big moment for that individual, it is. Julian is a super mature guy. He’s been really good in our locker room. I’m very, very proud of him. I’m very glad he’s here. But for us, I don’t want Julian to treat this game any differently than how he treated Wisconsin.”
In the two games Fleming played for Ohio State against Penn State, he managed to record three catches for 36 yards. The matchup between Ohio State and Penn State will undoubtedly be one to watch, especially with Fleming facing his former team.
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