Ohio State receiver Julian Fleming, center, catches a pass against Penn State in October. A record-smashing wideout at Southern Columbia, Fleming is transferring to play his final college season for the Nittany Lions.
Jay LaPrete | AP file photo
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Julian Fleming (4) played 38 games and started in 22 of them for coach Ryan Day in four years at Ohio State.
Barry Reeger | AP file photo
Senior defensive tackle Dvon Ellies (91) announced Wednesday night he will be returning to Penn State for a sixth year in 2024.
Doug McSchooler | AP file photo
Four years later, the PIAA’s all-time leading receiver is coming to Happy Valley after all.
Former Southern Columbia star Julian Fleming announced Wednesday that he will be transferring to Penn State after playing four seasons for Big Ten rival Ohio State. Fleming will be able to play in 2024 for the Nittany Lions, using the bonus year offered by the NCAA because he played during the 2020 pandemic-shortened season.
The Lions are in serious need of both playmaking and consistency at wide receiver, and Fleming will be expected to become a major part of the offense in the fall for quarterback Drew Allar and new coordinator Andy Kotelnicki.
Coach James Franklin and his staff pushed hard to land Fleming as a five-star high school recruit who helped Southern win PIAA Class 2A championships in 2017, 2018 and 2019. The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder set state records for career touchdown catches (77) and career receiving yards (5,514) and was ranked by some recruiting services as the No. 1 receiver in the country for the 2020 cycle.
Penn State was long considered the favorite to land him. But the Buckeyes were able to successfully sway him with their impressive track record of developing wideouts. Fleming said in an interview at the time that Ohio State also pointed to the struggles of another former five-star receiver — Justin Shorter — at Penn State around that time. Shorter eventually transferred to Florida.
Fleming did not put up big numbers during his time in Columbus, finishing 2023 with 26 catches for 270 yards without a touchdown. Part of that came down to opportunity.
Ohio State has boasted arguably the most talented wide receiving corps in the country while Fleming was there. The Catawissa native was overshadowed by as many as five first-round picks at the position — Garret Wilson, Chris Olave and Jaxon Smith-Njigba have already been drafted and Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka are projected to follow this spring.
Fleming’s best season came in 2022 when he had a solid rapport with current Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, catching 34 passes for 533 yards and six scores.
During his four seasons, Fleming has totaled 79 receptions for 963 yards and seven scores.
At Penn State, he figures to be a top option along with Harrison Wallace, who battled injuries for almost all of last season.
One wideout who is not expected to be in the mix in 2024 is last year’s acquisition from the transfer portal, Dante Cephas.
Cephas’ name is expected to appear in the portal imminently, according to a report from On3. The Pittsburgh native and Kent State alum joined the team after spring practice last year but struggled to pick up the offense.
Outside of a two-touchdown performance against Maryland in November, Cephas made little impact, even when his playing time increased with Wallace out of the lineup.
Cephas was in uniform but did not play in the Peach Bowl over the weekend.
“Everything’s an open competition every week, and the depth chart reflects that,” Franklin said when asked about Cephas on Saturday. “Then obviously when you’re in a bowl situation and you’ve got three weeks, there’s a lot of movement that can occur in three weeks.”
ELLIES STAYING
Dvon Ellies may very well be the first player in Penn State history to be recognized three times on senior day. And the Lions are happy to celebrate him again.
The senior defensive tackle has elected to return to the Lions and will be an important piece for new coordinator Tom Allen. It will be Ellies’ sixth season with the program, using his COVID extra year of eligibility.
“God got me! Let’s do it,” Ellies wrote on social media along with a Penn State graphic that said, “I’m back!”
Ellies took over as a starter in the middle in the second half of this past season, pairing with Zane Durant for the country’s No. 1-ranked defense.
It was the best season so far for the former four-star recruit, who served as a backup for much of his career. He was recognized on senior day in 2022 and 2023 before ultimately choosing to return both times.
Ellies and Durant are in line to be the top tackles for the Lions in 2024 along with Coziah Izzard. Hakeem Beamon, who opened last season as the starter and was still a prominent member of the rotation, also has a sixth year available to him should he choose to use it.