Penn State football has some major expectations this coming season. The Nittany Lions are picked ninth in the country, in the preseason coach's poll. Penn State is led by a head coach in James Franklin, who has won a lot of games. The team has a solid young quarterback in Drew Allar. Despite these weapons, Penn State has not won a lot of Big Ten championships recently. The program's last conference title was in 2016.
For Penn State football to turn their fortunes around this coming year, the team has to have a lot of production from a powerful X factor. Here's the football team's biggest X factor in 2024, and it's not the quarterback Allar.
Penn State football's most dangerous weapon
The Nittany Lions have arguably the best transfer wide receiver in the country, in Julian Fleming. Fleming is a wideout who previously played at Ohio State. He didn't put up eye-popping numbers for the Buckeyes, falling behind Marvin Harrison Jr. the last few seasons.
Fleming grew up a few hours down the road from State College, in Catawissa Pennsylvania. He put up some incredible stats in high school. The wide receiver finished his prep career with more than 4,000 receiving yards. He won the honor of Gatorade Player of the Year in Pennsylvania, during the 2018-19 season.
Those accolades helped Fleming get the attention of national recruiting services. He was the overall no. 4 player in the country in the 2020 football recruiting class, per 247 Sports. He chose Ohio State, but had offers from a number of high-profile programs.
“Fleming is just a nightmare as a player,” said Brandon Carson, head coach at Line Mountain High School, per a press release when the receiver won Gatorade Player of the Year. “It doesn’t matter if you triple cover him. He makes plays that very, very few receivers can make, let alone make as consistently as he does. He also takes pride in his blocking, he’s an excellent defender, excellent punter, excellent return man. He’s a pretty unbelievable player.”
Fleming at Ohio State
At Ohio State, Fleming didn't find sure footing. He finished his four-year career in Columbus with just 963 receiving yards. He caught seven touchdowns for the Buckeyes. His best season for Ohio State was in 2022. That year, he posted 34 receptions for 533 yards. He finished the season ranked third in the Big Ten in yards per reception at 15.7, per Penn State Communications. The wideout also finished tied for seventh in the Big Ten in receiving touchdowns.
In 2023, Fleming had a quieter season. He finished the year with 26 catches for 270 yards, and no touchdowns. His stats across the board decreased, so it made sense that he looked to transfer out of the program.
Fleming is entering his fifth and final season of college football. He found his way home to Penn State, with the role of being the no. 1 receiving target. He no longer has to share the limelight with a dynamic player like Marvin Harrison Jr. Fleming is the go-to guy now in State College, and he is the greatest X factor on this team.
A strong season from Fleming, will undoubtedly bring Penn State football some fabulous success. The Nittany Lions have a solid quarterback in Allar, who is one of the best returning gunslingers in the Big Ten. Last season, Allar posted 2,631 passing yards. He threw 25 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Allar must surely be salivating at the chance to throw to such a powerful weapon in Fleming.
Penn State's schedule
It won't be easy for Penn State football to charge undefeated through the Big Ten. The conference is welcoming four new teams this year: USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington. Penn State plays three of them. Home meetings include matchups with UCLA and Washington. The Nittany Lions travel 3,000 miles to take on USC in California.
Penn State football has a difficult challenge right off the bat, as the team hits the road to take on West Virginia in Morgantown. That game is August 31. The Nittany Lions also have non conference games with Bowling Green and Kent State. The team's home conference schedule also includes an epic showdown with Ohio State, which will greatly impact who wins the conference this season.
Fleming is going to get plenty of opportunities to show what he can do. The Nittany Lions were picked to finish third in the Big Ten, in the preseason poll. Ohio State and Oregon are the only teams ahead of them. Time will tell if Penn State football and their senior wide receiver can earn a coveted College Football Playoff berth.
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