Julian Fleming has been lauded by Penn State coaches and teammates for how he’s conducted himself since transferring there in January.
They’ve talked about the former Southern Columbia star’s work habits, his leadership, his blocking and his willingness to put the team first.
So it’s unclear why Fleming, who caught 60 passes the last two seasons at Ohio State, has been targeted just 15 times in the first six games.
“It’s kind of how the game goes,” he said Tuesday during a conference call. “A lot of teams are playing us a little bit differently than we expected. I’m just trying to make an impact in any way possible throughout the games. It’s something I’ve been trying to pride myself on.”
After four seasons at Ohio State, Fleming transferred to Penn State seemingly hoping to have more opportunities than he did while playing behind such NFL receivers as Marvin Harrison Jr., Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson.
That hasn’t happened. Fleming has only nine catches for 132 yards for the third-ranked Nittany Lions (3-0 Big Ten, 6-0), who meet Wisconsin (3-1, 5-2) Saturday night at 7:30 at Camp Randall Stadium.
His numbers pale compared to those from the first half of last season when he had 16 receptions for 162 yards on 24 targets with the Buckeyes.
“When I look at it, I’m a little disappointed just because I thought he was going to get more opportunities, more targets,” Southern Columbia coach Jim Roth said. “When he was healthy and on the field with a stronger receiving corps at Ohio State, he was getting more targets than this.
“(Penn State coach James) Franklin really wanted him from day one, so I figured they’d plug him into a role where he was really going to be involved.”
The 6-2, 206-pound Fleming is part of a four-man rotation at wide receiver, He trails tight end Tyler Warren (49) and fellow wide receivers Harrison Wallace III (31) and Omari Evans (17) in targets and is ahead of Liam Clifford (11).
He’s sixth on the team in receptions and fifth in receiving yards.
Two weeks ago in Los Angeles, Fleming dropped a pass before making two critical fourth-down catches on the Lions’ game-tying drive in the final minutes of regulation. They went on to beat USC 33-30 in overtime.
“Yeah, it can definitely be a springboard for him,” Roth said. “He’s not one to drop the ball. He’s always been sure-handed. I was pleased and impressed that they went to him on those two fourth-down plays. It was a real positive to see that.
“To go to him in those crucial situations and for him to make those catches, you would hope it would help him get more involved in the offense.”
At Southern Columbia, Fleming was twice selected the Gatorade Pennsylvania Player of the Year and was rated the top high school prospect in the country by ESPN in 2019. He led the Tigers to three PIAA championships and a 63-1 record.
He finished his high school career with state records for career touchdown receptions (77) and receiving yards (5,514), including 72 catches for 1,582 yards and 22 TDs in 2019.
The quarterback who threw to him in their senior year at Southern will be in the Wisconsin secondary Saturday night. Preston Zachman is in his first full season as a starter at safety for the Badgers. He’s fourth on the team with 27 tackles and has a team-high two interceptions.
“It’s a tremendous honor for the program to have those two kids playing against each other in such a big game,” Roth said. “We’re a small school. I’ll never have another class like that in my career.
“Preston’s a great kid. His brother is a sophomore on our team. He’s really come on and really played well the last couple years.”
Fleming would like nothing more than a Penn State win over Wisconsin, which would likely set up a top-five showdown against Ohio State next week at Beaver Stadium.
“I think it’s been awesome,” he said about his time with the Lions. “People welcomed me here. Some of the relationships I’ve built are with people who are going to be part of my life forever. I’m super happy with how it’s going. Obviously I’d like to finish the season strong.”
