Report: Former Penn State, Ohio State WR Julian Fleming seriously injured in fatal ATV accident

Former Penn State and Ohio State receiver Julian Fleming was reportedly involved in a tragic ATV accident Friday that resulted in the death of his girlfriend, according to a Pennsylvania State Police report reviewed by the Penn State student newspaper, The Daily Collegian.

Fleming, 24, was on an ATV with his girlfriend, 23-year-old Alyssa Boyd, when the vehicle reportedly stuck a deer, according to the police report. Neither were wearing safety equipment. Boyd was pronounced dead at the scene, while Fleming sustained serious injuries and taken to a nearby hospital, according to the Collegian.

The accident is currently under further investigation at this time, per the Collegian.

Fleming played just one season at Penn State, tallying 14 receptions for 176 yards and one touchdown in 16 games in 2024. He transferred to State College after four seasons at Ohio State, where he accounted for 963 yards on 79 receptions and seven touchdowns between 2020-23.

Fleming was expected to sign with the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in April but failed the physical and remains a free agent, the Collegian reported.

Fleming, a two-time Gatorade Pennsylvania Player of the Year, originally signed with the Buckeyes over his homestate Nittany Lions as a Five-State Plus+ recruit out of Southern Columbia Area (Catawissa, Pa.) in the 2020 cycle, where he was ranked as the No. 1 player out of Pennsylvania, the No. 1 receiver in the class and No. 3 overall player according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

James Franklin discussed Julian Fleming ahead of 2024 season

Penn State invested plenty into making the 2024 season great, especially on offense. That included the addition of former Ohio State transfer WR Julian Fleming out of the portal.

Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin spoke about the addition of Fleming and what he could bring to the Nittany Lions during 2024 Big Ten Media Days last July.

“(Julian) is thriving. He’s very comfortable, he’s very confident. He really came, got on campus. Like most guys should do, kept his mouth shut, worked, earned everybody’s respect and now is really developing into a leader for us,” Franklin said of Fleming during 2024 Big Ten Media Days last July.

“His improvement from the end of spring to now? He is healthy and lean and explosive and fast right now. Just from the feedback from the players over the summer, he has really done a nice job. Looking at all the metrics and the numbers from our strength staff, he’s in a really good position,” Franklin continued. “I think he’s got a huge chip on his shoulder and excited about the opportunity at Penn State. He’s really turned into one of the leaders in that wide receiver room.

“We’re happy to have him and expect for him to do big things for us this year.”

— On3’s Sam Gillenwater contributed to this report.