Inside On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine pick for Julian Fleming to Penn State

Julian Fleming will not be going far to finish his collegiate career.

The Ohio State transfer wide receiver decided to enter the transfer portal on Dec. 4 as a grad transfer. Entering this week, many believed Nebraska was the favorite to land the former five-star recruit with his former teammate, Kyle McCord.

Plans have changed, though. The Buckeyes quarterback is now looking at a new batch of schools and keeping his options open. And for Fleming, Penn State has emerged as the favorite to land the nation’s top-ranked receiver in the class of 2020.

It’s a homecoming of sorts, as Fleming chose Ohio State over Penn State as a high school prospect. I now anticipate the 6-foot-2, 190-pound to commit to the Nittany Lions. A native of Catawissa, Pennsylvania, he grew up roughly 90 minutes from Beaver Stadium.

He’s the exact type of wide receiver James Franklin needs to add to his offense to give Drew Allar a dynamic weapon to rely on. Against Michigan and Ohio State this season, the Nittany Lions were lacking in that category. Penn State has badly needed a top-dog wide receiver like Jahan Dotson, and Fleming has all the intangibles to fill that role.

This past season with the Buckeyes, Fleming struggled to crack the lineup at times with a talented group of freshmen. He leaves Columbus with 79 catches for 963 career yards and seven touchdowns.

A two-time Gatorade Pennsylvania Player of the Year, he was constantly fighting for playing time in a room that included Marvin Harrison Jr., Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson.

I’ve submitted an RPM pick for Penn State to land Julian Fleming with a confidence level of 70%. The Ohio State transfer has run a very quiet recruitment, but he’s ready to return to the Keystone State and provide Penn State with a go-to target on offense.