It’s hard to find your place on the football field when your shoulders can’t find a place in their sockets.
That’s the level of arm-to-collarbone connector issues that Julian Fleming has dealt with thus far in his Ohio State career. Problems he finally feels he’s solved once and for all with a more comprehensive surgery this spring.
“There were definitely some issues with my shoulders and I dislocated them a bunch of different times you probably never knew about, but it just kind of happened,” Fleming said. “You pop it back in and you keep going. So hopefully with some screws and everything going on in there, that’ll stay in place and we’ll be good to go.”
Contested catches, his physical style of play, merely lifting his arms above his head; it all hit him with jolts of pain when his ailments were at their worst. It’s not an excuse for any lack of production, the senior stated, but it’s certainly a contributing factor as to why he feels he hasn’t reached his full potential in a scarlet and gray uniform as of yet.
“Rocky,” Fleming said Tuesday when asked to describe his career to this point. “A couple bumps and bruises here and there, a couple injuries that sidelined me for a little bit.”
Now that he feels healthy — he achieved what he feels is “100 percent” health going into summer workouts — Fleming is working to build off a 2022 campaign that saw him be a solid contributor and reach the ceiling that made him the No. 1 receiver prospect in the recruiting class of 2020.
“There’s no growth without adversity, so just going through certain things and not having things go my way has definitely made me stronger as a person,” Fleming said. “Stronger mentally, definitely.”
The first hurdle for Fleming to clear came as he transitioned from playing for a high school team that ran an old-school Wing-T offense to learning Ohio State’s spread offense.
Fleming said as a freshman it was an uphill battle to simply learn the basics of a spread attack. The calls, the signals, alignments and how to run routes that went over the top of defenses were all items he had to pick up on.
“He came in as a very, very high-skilled athlete and had to learn how to play receiver,” Ohio State wide receivers coach Brian Hartline said. “He’s continued to do that at incremental levels. He’s continued to grow each time, each time. Guys always want it to be faster than it always is, it’s always the case, but he’s continued to grow every stinking time.”
“There’s no growth without adversity, so just going through certain things and not having things go my way has definitely made me stronger as a person.”– Julian Fleming
There’s not one specific area that Fleming has grown the most in, Hartline stated, but “everything.” Particularly his football IQ and his mechanics, which have gotten “so much cleaner.”
Another area that Fleming has developed in is his mentorship of younger players.
“Julian, his growth as a leader – again, very important – has been substantial,” Hartline said. “It just tells you a lot about the young man as he grows as a person and what he’s like on and off the field and how he’s growing.”
Going through the injury adversity he experienced the past few seasons assisted in that area.
Fleming saw little action in 2021 while dealing with lingering issues, though he did manage to log five receptions for 35 yards in the Rose Bowl against Utah to close the season. Starters Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson cleared the way by sitting out the contest in preparation for the 2022 NFL Draft.
This past campaign, Fleming finally found a featured role as a starter and finished third on the squad in receiving yards, making 34 catches for 533 yards and six touchdowns. He posted his first-ever 100-yard outing against Iowa Oct. 22, completing the feat in just two receptions with 105 yards and a score.
“I really felt like my first two years I couldn’t develop as a leader that much based off my injuries, I wasn’t contributing the way I wanted to,” Fleming said. “But the past two years I feel like I’ve started to grow into that leadership role, excel at it. I’m an older dude in the wide receiver room now so I feel like I’m someone young guys can look up to as someone who’s been through it, somebody’s who’s been through not having things go their way all the time.”
As far as living up to the billing procured by his five-star recruiting profile, Fleming said it’s not something he worries about. He’s playing out his own process and putting in the work to grow at the fastest rate he can.
“Sometimes you just have to throw away peoples’ expectations. I was the No. 1 recruit according to a website,” Fleming said. “Everybody expects different things. Some people expected a lot, others didn’t expect too much, but I’ve just always expected me to be myself and constantly improve in every aspect that I can.”
Health has been Fleming’s main focus this summer and fall, he noted, quoting a favorite saying of Hartline’s: “The best ability is availability.” His work with the team’s training staff both in rehab and future injury prevention is something that his teammates have noticed.
“He’s just continued to work hard, continued to put in work outside of practice in his free time,” Marvin Harrison Jr. said. “Taking care of his body, getting extra passes on the Monarc (pass-catching machine). Just whatever he can do to get ready for this season.”
Fleming’s size and speed are his greatest advantages when he’s not gritting his teeth through a dislocated shoulder, he said. At 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, he feels he has a size advantage over most defensive backs. This year he hopes to put that on full display.
Even with Harrison and Emeka Egbuka expected to be the team’s top two targets alongside him, Ohio State’s staff is excited to see what a fully healthy Fleming can do.
“Now with two bionic shoulders and everything put back together, I’m really excited for him to have a great year this year,” Hartline said.
