Subscribe
Follow Us
Penn State football is entering the 2024 season with extremely high expectations. The Nittany Lions have missed the College Football Playoff regularly in recent years, watching their rivals Ohio State and Michigan take trips instead. Penn State football wants 2024 to be their turn in the Big Ten spotlight, and they have a transfer that could help them do that this year.
Penn State football transfer who will make biggest impact
The Nittany Lions have a transfer that should immediately elevate their offense. The team grabbed former blue chip high school prospect Julian Fleming this offseason, a wide receiver from Ohio State. Fleming is already well-versed in how the Big Ten conference operates, and he is set to have a breakout season. He was the no. 4 overall high school recruit in the 2020 class, per 247Sports. He played four seasons at Ohio State.
Fleming finished the 2023 campaign with 26 catches for 270 total yards. It was not a spectacular season, as Fleming was outshined by Buckeyes star Marvin Harrison Jr. Fleming is now in a new offense, where he will be considered a top target. He has one year of eligibility left. As this is his last season, the wideout will feel even greater pressure to succeed and do well.
Fleming comes to State College with a lot of accolades. The wide receiver is actually from Pennsylvania, raised in Catawissa. He was the no. 1 high school prospect in the state of Pennsylvania, in the 2020 class. He also won the 2019 Gatorade Player of the Year award in the Keystone State. He was born and raised only a few hours from State College, so Fleming will be playing home games in front of thousands of fans who knew him well. This familiarity with the Penn State football environment is one of the reasons why the experienced receiver chose to attend the school.
“I needed one more year to really prove to myself who I am and prove to other people who I am. So that's why I was really excited to come here, ” Fleming said after coming to Penn State, per Sports Illustrated.
Those words should scare opposing defenses. Fleming entered college with such high expectations, and NFL aspirations. He hasn't been able to match those expectations yet. This season is his last chance to do it. He's also going to be catching balls for a very talented young quarterback, in Penn State gunslinger Drew Allar. Allar is another highly touted young player, with something to prove. In 2023, Allar threw for 2,631 yards and 25 touchdowns.
Fleming is going to love playing with Allar. Allar throws a lot of touchdowns, with few interceptions. In 2023, the quarterback only had two throws picked off. Fleming didn't post a single receiving touchdown in 2023, so he has some make-up work to do. There is an absolute powder keg sitting in State College, and it is looking to soon explode.
Penn State football's 2024 outlook
Penn State football has an opportunity to make up some ground in the Big Ten this season. Michigan football has a new coach, in Sherrone Moore. The Wolverines also lost a great a deal of talent from their offense last season, that won the CFP Championship. J.J. McCarthy, Blake Corum and Roman Wilson are all gone, among others.
The Big Ten also has a lot of new teams this year. USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington are all joining the league from the Pac-12. There's a lot of change in the air, and the opportunity is there for Penn State to make a run for a Big Ten Championship. The last time Penn State football won the conference was in 2016.
Penn State fans get the first opportunity to see how Fleming and this team will do on August 31, when the Nittany Lions play their first game. It is a very tough road game at Big 12 Conference member West Virginia. Fleming will get his first chance to prove to his critics that he is as good as advertised.
