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WR Julian Fleming (transfer to Ped)


But Fleming is also starting to peek ahead just a little bit at what will follow that when he graduates early to enroll at Ohio State, the place where he silently committed in March and tried to keep that decision secret until announcing it publicly on Friday.
The main hangout is about a mile down the road in the parking lot of a Sheetz gas station.

If that’s not the spot, Julian Fleming and his friends can be found in a nearby park with a basketball hoop and tennis court, music blaring from car speakers with the doors open wide.

“That’s all I got, that’s the only thing going on.... I mean, it’s fun growing up here. It’s a real safe place, like our door is never locked.”

Fleming makes it clear that he’s ready for something new, though, and that’s one key reason why Penn State came up short for his services despite being just a little over an hour away from his front door.
 
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USING HISTORY TO PUT JULIAN FLEMING'S COMMITMENT INTO PERSPECTIVE

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History can help define the future, so we used Ohio State wide receiver history to put Julian Fleming's commitment into perspective.

When 2020 five-star wide receiver Julian Fleming committed to Ohio State on Friday morning, there were several reactions from not only fans but from current Ohio State players and commits, as well as past players. The one that seemed to stand out the most was Ohio State receiving legend and NFL Hall of Famer Chris Carter.

“Best news from the next great WR at #TheOhioState,” Carter tweeted.

Carter, who is fourth on Ohio State’s all-time receiving list, was clearly great in Columbus, but using history to navigate through some of the greatest receivers the program has seen and some of the receivers it’s put into the NFL, we tried to put into perspective what being the top wideout in the 2020 class or the third-highest ranked Ohio State commitment all-time could foreshadow for Fleming’s years as a Buckeye.

To get all angles into one scope, there would need to be different questions addressed, such as how Fleming compares to 2019 five-star receiver Garrett Wilson, how the last handful of top receivers have fared in their careers so far, what it means to be rated so high in 2020 versus pre-2000, how Fleming’s recruitment compares to record holders at Ohio State and all the way down to his wide receivers coach Brian Hartline.

JULIAN FLEMING VS. GARRETT WILSON
Ohio State has never brought in two five-star receivers in consecutive years until Friday, when Julian Fleming committed to the Buckeyes. The timing of the Texas-Pennsylvania pairing between Garrett Wilson and Fleming has placed a great deal of burden on their shoulders. They will be compared throughout their careers at Ohio State, and they are responsible for leading the next great Ohio State wide receivers after Parris Campbell, Terry McLaurin and Johnnie Dixon carried what Michael Thomas, Curtis Samuel and others laid down so well.

Wilson has gotten his fair share of media coverage during his first semester in Columbus. He arrived early and has shown that he can and will compete in the summer for a spot in the wide receiver rotation during his first season. He was the first five-star wide receiver to sign with Ohio State since Jalin Marshall signed in 2013, and no one would know how much time would pass until it’d land another.

It’s second might even surpass the first. While Wilson is rated as the 23rd-best commitment overall since 2000, Fleming is the third-best – 2021 Ohio State commit Jack Sawyer has not received a 247Sports Composite rating yet but is projected by 247Sports to be Ohio State’s second-best ever.

Looking at the new duo from a purely ratings-based stance, Fleming has the upper hand. Wilson was rated as a five-star prospect by 247Sports and Rivals.com but was labeled as a four-star recruit by ESPN. That could be a knock on Wilson’s size – 5-foot-11.5, 175 pounds – or a testament to Fleming’s team success – two state titles in two years. While most players sign as juniors, Wilson had just two full years under his belt on signing day, while Fleming has three. Everyone grows at different paces. Regardless, Fleming is given the edge.

In three years at Lake Travis High School in Austin, Texas, Wilson posted numbers similar to Fleming’s first three years. As a sophomore, junior and senior, he caught 219 passes – 96 as a junior – for 3,614 yards and 57 touchdowns. Fleming has caught 183 passes for 3,942 yards and 55 touchdowns before his senior year.

Both receivers will serve different roles within the Ohio State offense, which is only a positive for the Buckeyes.

THE PATHS OF THE LAST FIVE NO. 1 WIDEOUTS
After being signed, every prospect has a different path. They fall into different systems with different coaches. Coaches leave or are forced to leave. Things can change quickly at the collegiate level, hence the transfer portal.

But this is how Fleming compares to the five No. 1 wideouts before him, which is an exercise that can temper some sky-high expectations out of the gate.

Garrett Wilson was the No. 2 wide receiver in his class to Georgia receiver Jadon Haselwood. Haselwood signed with Oklahoma and actually has similar measurements – 6-foot-2.5, 196 pounds – to Fleming. Oklahoma actually accomplished a rare feat and signed two five-star receivers in Haselwood and No. 3 wideout Theo Wease, who are both expected to have a big impact in Jalen Hurts’ season at Oklahoma.

Justin Shorter was the No. 1 wide receiver and the No. 8 overall prospect in the 2018 class. He will be a major impact player as he grows, but as a freshman he caught three passes for 20 yards and ran the ball once for nine yards. He’s a big-bodied wideout, at 6-foot-4, 226 pounds, and will play a similar role to Fleming at Penn State in a bit of a packed receivers room.

Surely, Ohio State fans know the No. 1 wide receiver in the Class of 2017 went to Michigan. Donovan Peoples-Jones has played in every game since the beginning of his college career in Ann Arbor but has yet to have his breakout year. He was rated as the No. 12 player overall in his class, and now, entering his junior year, he has compiled 69 catches, 889 yards and eight touchdowns, all of the touchdowns coming in his sophomore year.

Entire article: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...t-julian-flemings-commitment-into-perspective
 
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I'm mobile and can't post the gif parade that this commitment deserves. But my oh my, this was one of the most masterful recruiting jobs I've seen, hats off to Day and Hartline. And to stack up Fleming with Wilson (along with all the other commits of course) is downright unfair. We have some great QB commits in the books but with the weapons they'll have, their job isn't going to be all that hard. But a huge welcome tip Mr. Fleming, cannot wait to see him in S&G!
 
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PennLive story on Julian Fleming. Not a good look for Penn State:
But Fleming, a five-star prospect in the 2020 cycle, didn’t let that pressure influence a decision he said is “set in stone” when he rejected the Nittany Lions and committed to Big Ten rival Ohio State on Friday. Fleming went even further, saying his choice to cross state lines “wasn’t that hard for me.”

"They [Penn State] weren’t stable on offense, defense; they weren’t pulling out games, their coaching has been unstable for the past couple years. A lot of stuff weighed into it.” Fleming, who said he formed a “great” relationship with Ohio State wide receiver coach Brian Hartline, was courted by three Penn State receiver coaches in three years.

Another item that caught Fleming’s attention was Justin Shorter’s freshman season at Penn State. Shorter, a five-star receiver recruit out of New Jersey, was slowed by a leg injury early in the 2018 season and finished his true freshman campaign with three catches for 20 yards in four games. The 6-foot-4, 232-pound Shorter was redshirted to preserve his fourth year of eligibility.

“I thought, they got the No. 1 receiver last year, and, he had a little injury in spring ball or whatever, but for him not to be utilized at all throughout the offense, I did see that throughout the year. I didn’t agree with it,” Fleming said. “You have to play your best players and obviously he’s a freak. He’s 6-3, 6-4, 215 pounds and they just didn’t utilize him whatsoever.”
 
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