It will be Julian Fleming's first time on the Nittany Lions side in the Penn State-Ohio State rivalry

Ohio State transfer wide receiver Julian Fleming has 10 catches in seven games in 2024 for Penn State. Photo by Paul Burdick | For StateCollege.com

No matter how you look at it, Saturday's showdown between Penn State and Ohio State at Beaver Stadium is a big event for Nittany Lions wide receiver Julian Fleming.

Fleming made a name for himself as a five-star receiver at Southern Columbia High School, less than two hours from Beaver Stadium. He set Pennsylvania records for touchdowns and career yards and was named the PA Gatorade Player of the Year.

But then he rejected James Franklin's countless advances and went to Ohio State University instead.

In four seasons at Ohio State (2020-23), Fleming faced his hometown team four times. And the Buckeyes won four times. In two games against Penn State, he caught three passes for 36 yards. In total, Fleming caught 79 passes for 973 yards, seven touchdowns and an average of 12.3 yards in his four seasons in Columbus. Good, but not great or elitist.

His last touchdown reception as a college receiver – as a Buckeye or Nittany Lion – came on October 22, 2022, a 79-yarder from then-Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud against Iowa in the fourth quarter of a 54-10 loss. That was 793 days ago.

In January, Fleming returned home to the Keystone State. In seven games with the blue and white, he had great success – two key fourth-down catches on the final drive of regulation against USC and two grabs for 60 yards against Kent State. And he had a few drops – including against the Trojans and again last week in Madison, for an almost certain touchdown. Overall, as a Nittany Lion, he made 10 catches for 148 yards, a 14.8-yard average with no touchdowns.

Despite it, Penn State fans love him.

FLEMING BY NUMBERS

When the No. 3 and No. 4 teams in college football face off on national television on Saturday in early November, the moment is bigger than one person. Even if that person is Julian Fleming.

Still, it will be an emotional time for Fleming, who knows numerous Buckeyes players as well as head coach Ryan Day and wide receivers coach Brian Hartline. Fleming spent hundreds of hours with many of them, on and off the field. That’s what the transfer portal did. And in Fleming's case, perhaps not in a bad way. Less than 100 miles from home, he has a second chance. It could be a heartwarming moment, especially if Fleming has a big day and the Nittany Lions win.

WHAT FLEMING SAYS

Last week, Fleming met with local media. And he spoke in glowing terms about his limited time at Penn State. “It was great. “It was super welcoming coming in and some of the relationships I built,” Fleming said. “So up to this point, people will pretty much be a part of my life forever.”

But it was also a difficult transition, at least on the field. Fleming had just one catch for three yards in the first two games of Penn State's 2024 season. It wasn't easy, he admitted.

“The transition was different at first, like being a newbie again,” Fleming said. “I'm trying to kind of restore yourself and restore the trust that you have in the friendships that you had before. So that was my first challenge.

“The minimum goals – whatever the first few games are, that’s just how the game goes,” Fleming added. “Many teams played a little differently against us than we expected. So I try to have an impact in every way I can throughout the game. It’s just something I want to be proud of.”

Fleming is not available to the press this week. Certainly understandable from a PSU football perspective. You would call it a distraction for the team and players. And Fleming, undoubtedly.

WHAT FRANKLIN SAYS

With this in mind, I didn't want Fleming's impending complex homecoming to go unnoticed. It's an important plot and subplot. During Franklin's press conference on Monday, I asked the head coach what he thought Saturday's game meant for Fleming.

“When you play against an opponent where a member of our team is from that school, obviously I have to sit here and say it's not a big moment and it's not a big game for that person. That’s it,” said Franklin, who is 0-4 against Fleming and 7-0 with him. “Of course we don’t want to waste any time on this. I want Julian and our team to approach it the way we do every week because every week it's the most important game we play. We want to refine our process and get better individually and together each week. I want to do that again.”

Franklin praised Fleming and, as he has in the past, commented on the maturity, experience and work ethic he brought to a wide receiver room that was in turmoil last season.

“Julian is a super mature guy. He was really good in our locker room,” Franklin said. “I am 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 he treated Wisconsin. When I watch Julian, he prepares as carefully and well as anyone else. I want him to do that again.

“It really is. For me to sit here and say it's obviously not a big game for him and his family, it's obvious. I think it's obviously reinforced by the fact that he's a kid from Pennsylvania who's now back home with us.”