What I know about Penn State after Week 1: Abdul Carter’s shaky day, Julian Fleming’s debut
3. Julian Fleming’s role will grow
One of Penn State’s most important transfer portal additions, the veteran receiver did not start and wasn’t even targeted. Is that a reason for concern? I don’t think so.
A good indicator of how the staff feels about any player is by looking at the snap counts. Harrison Wallace III and Liam Clifford started, with Wallace earning the target on half of Penn State’s 18 pass attempts. However, it was Fleming, not Clifford, whose 35 snaps tied with Wallace for the lead among the receivers.
Fleming’s willingness as a blocker is part of why I believe he’s going to have a significant role. No, he didn’t transfer in just to block, but when Penn State has more than 18 pass attempts in a game, he certainly should be in the mix. It’s important to also note that Evans played 31 snaps, third most among receivers, while Clifford logged 21. The only other receiver to take snaps with the offense was Tyler Johnson (5). Kaden Saunders didn’t record a snap on offense, but he did see the field after dealing with an injury this preseason, fielding all four punts as fair catches. I’m curious to see how his role evolves in the coming weeks.
Just sayin': I noticed in the box score that Fleming didn't have any catches so I wondered what happened.