'2020-2023 WR - Julian Fleming (Transfer to Penn State)

Rivals.com
24/7Sports

CLASS OF 2020
6'3''|175 LBS| WR
SOUTHERN COLUMBIA
CATAWISSA, PA

Ohio State has offered.

 

Very excited to receive an offer from The Ohio State University #buckeyes pic.twitter.com/r873nOcDjt

— Julian Fleming (@julian_040) February 7, 2018

 

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If AJ Henning isn’t the best WR in the country for 2020, this guy - Pennsylvania’s Julian Fleming - is. He’s in town visiting the Buckeyes today. https://t.co/V6zZ0qK9el

— Jeremy Birmingham (@Birm) June 17, 2018

 

After #OhioState visit, 5-star says #Buckeyes definitely put themselves in a good position. VIP https://t.co/A6uVGj8DKK

— Bill Kurelic (@Bill_Kurelic) June 18, 2018

 

Ohio State looks to impress 2020 wideout Julian Fleming
After hosting potential 2020 5-star wide receiver AJ Henning on Saturday and Sunday, the Buckeyes welcomed in early 5-star prospect Julian Fleming, another top player in the Class of 2020.

Fleming is the country’s No. 2-ranked overall player currently in his class and a player that most people have predicted early to Penn State. That makes sense, as he’s from Southern Columbus High School in Catawissa, Pa., just about 90 minutes from the Nittany Lions. It’s rare that a player of his caliber grows up so near Happy Valley, and it’s even more rare that a player from that area gets a Penn State offer and goes elsewhere.

Regardless, the Buckeyes – and every other school in the country – are going to take a shot at landing the 6-foot-2, 190-pound talent. The visit to Columbus went “great” according to Ohio State sources, but there’s no one willing to flip the switch to “optimistic” at this point.

As a sophomore, Fleming caught 69 passes 1462 yards and 20 touchdowns. He’s reeled in 33 scoring grabs in his first two years of high school ball.

 

THE ⭕️HIO STATE #buckeyes pic.twitter.com/8u1PZSvFtV

— Julian Fleming (@julian_040) June 18, 2018

 

2020 #Rivals100 WR Julian Fleming continues to add offers https://t.co/sMGznNthss @BGI_CoreyBodden https://t.co/lXZgdZZVJJ

— Adam Friedman (@RivalsFriedman) June 20, 2018

 

YOU'RE EITHER WITH US OR YOU'RE AGAINST US
Catawissa, Pennsylvania, Southern Columbia five-star wide receiver Julian Fleming narrowed down his list of nearly two dozen offers on Wednesday afternoon, listing Ohio State in his Top 6 alongside Clemson, Georgia, Penn State, USC and Virginia Tech.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Fleming is considered the second-best wide receiver and No. 12 prospect overall in the Class of 2020, as he’s hauled in 105 catches for 2,418 yards and 33 touchdowns in his two-year varsity career to lead the Tigers to back-to-back state championship game appearances (1-1).

The Buckeyes extended an offer to Fleming back in February and hosted him for an unofficial visit in mid-June. He was accompanied on the trip by his grandfather, and the two spent a considerable amount of time that weekend with head coach Urban Meyer and wide receivers coach Zach Smith.

Quarterback commit Jack Miller III, speaking at Friday Night Lights ahead of his own decision, pointed out Fleming as one of his personal top targets.

“I want to commit soon just so I can start building on my class, for sure,” Miller said. “Like [IMG Academy four-star defensive back] Lejond Cavazos, [Pennsylvania five-star wide receiver] Julian Fleming and [California five-star running back] Kendall Milton. My teammate [four-star running back] Darvon [Hubbard], too. I have a lot of guys in mind.”

Fleming gave no timetable for a decision, but most anticipate he’ll land with the Nittany Lions when the time comes — after all, his hometown roughly an hour and a half away from State College. He’s since added an offer from Florida State, so it’ll be interesting to see if that has any impact on his top schools list moving forward.

 

Has the country's No. 1 class of 2020 WR had a change of interest in #OhioState. @julian_040 answers that question and talks #Buckeyes (VIP) https://t.co/7QXdfYyJQY

— Bill Kurelic (@Bill_Kurelic) August 9, 2018

 

B1G BATTLE LOOMING

Ohio State welcomed Catawissa, Pennsylvania, Southern Columbia five-star wide receiver Julian Fleming to campus for the first time for an unofficial visit back in June. He was accompanied on the trip by his grandfather.

“It was really fun getting to meet the coaches and see all the facilities,” Fleming told Eleven Warriors. “Everything [stood out]. It was just a great visit overall.”

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Fleming — who is considered the top-rated wide receiver and No. 9 prospect overall in the Class of 2020 — spent most of the day with head coach Urban Meyer, offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Ryan Day and then-wide receivers coach Zach Smith, and was thoroughly impressed with everything the Buckeyes have to offer. He especially enjoyed his conversation with Meyer, who made it clear Fleming is one of the staff’s top targets moving forward.

“[He told me] that I could be great if I put in the effort and time and just to stay humble,” Fleming said.

Fleming, who just last month listed Ohio State in his Top 6 alongside Clemson, Georgia, Penn State, USC and Virginia Tech, was certainly shocked by Meyer’s decision to fire Smith — who would have been his position coach in Columbus. But interim wide receivers coach Brain Hartline has been quick to pick up the slack in recent weeks. In fact, the two had a length phone conversation on Thursday.

“I think he’s a great guy and really has the ability to develop his guys from his NFL experience,” Fleming said.

Most believe Fleming will end up with the Nittany Lions thanks to his proximity to their campus — after all, his hometown is about an hour and a half away from State College. But, that said, he plans to return to Columbus for a game this fall, and that certainly gives the Buckeyes a puncher’s chance as he likely heads toward a decision following his junior season.

Ohio State is looking to take four wide receivers in each of the next two cycles, and there are plenty of options at the position. The Buckeyes are widely considered the favorite to land Washington D.C. four-star Rakim Jarrett, while Florida five-star Marcus Rosemy, Illinois four-star A.J. Henning, Michigan four-star Rashawn Williams and Michigan three-star Devell Washington have all shown significant interest early in the process.

 

2020 #Buckeyes WR target Julian Fleming showed why he is one of the nation's top offensive weapons on Friday night and also laid a few devastating blocks. VIDEO: https://t.co/xLvrHRNm8v @julian_040

— Marc Givler (@MarcGivler) September 15, 2018

 

Ohio State to see Julian Fleming twice in November?
It’s beginning to look a lot like football for the Ohio State recruiting staff. This week, with the Buckeyes football team getting a little time off, the Ohio State coaches are on the road and today receivers coach Brian Hartline made a visit to see Julian Fleming, a 5-star 2020 prospect viewed as the country’s No. 1-ranked receiver in that class.

“He was just here,” Fleming shared with Lettermen Row on Thursday afternoon. “It went well. He’s a great guy with a lot of knowledge and he knows how to make it to the NFL. We have developed a great relationship. His message is pretty similar to other coaches, it’s just ‘stay humble, work hard.'”

Fleming, 6-foot-2 and 205-pounds, is a star at Catawissa (Pa.) Southern Columbia High School, is predicted by every single “crystal ball” on the 247Sports.com network to pick Penn State for college. He says that while he’s familiar with Penn State, he believes most of that assumption is just based on how close they are to home for him but that he’s not really dialed in that much on any specific school at the moment.

“I mean people just assume [Penn State] because I’ve been there,” Fleming said. “It’s just close to home. Ultimately, it’s gonna be where I can get most developed and hopefully make a career out of football.”

If Ohio State wants to have a chance to pluck Fleming out of Nittany Lion country, they’ll need to get him as familiar and comfortable in Columbus as he is in State College. He’s visited the Buckeyes just once, in June, but has been planning to return and Hartline’s development of Ohio State’s receivers are a key part of that.

“He’s doing great,” he said when asked his opinion on the Buckeyes wideouts. “The wide receivers are making great plays every week they have some studs.”

So to get comfortable in Columbus, Fleming is expecting to be at Ohio State for the late November slugfest against Michigan. He says there’s a chance he could be there sooner than that, though.

“I’ll know by next Monday,” he said. “But I think I might be there next week, too. I don’t need to see much [specifically about the school, I just wanna see a game and feel the atmosphere.”

 

Country's No. 1 WR @julian_040 has "great" #OhioState visit. Talks about #Buckeyes and returning to #OSU for third time soon. (VIP) https://t.co/fyHamh43Qe

— Bill Kurelic (@Bill_Kurelic) November 4, 2018

 

Julian Fleming unable to visit for Michigan game
The Ohio State and Michigan game being moved to the weekend after Thanksgiving every year plays a weird role in recruiting. Sure, it’s a long weekend for prospects around the country, but it’s also one that is usually spent with family or on the football field trying to win a state title.

That second component is going to keep 5-star wide receiver Julian Fleming from visiting Ohio State this weekend as he’d had planned for the last month.

“I can’t make it,” Fleming told Lettermen Row on Monday. “We had a game rescheduled for Saturday.”

That game will determine if Fleming and Catawissa (Pa.) Southern Columbia get a shot to play for a state championship. Fleming did visit Ohio State already this month, taking a trip to Columbus for the game against Nebraska.