More than halfway through his second season at Ohio State, Julian Fleming has caught only 11 passes for 113 yards.
That’s not what anyone, including Fleming himself, was expecting when he arrived at Ohio State as the top-ranked wide receiver and No. 3 overall prospect in the 2020 recruiting class. Injuries and the COVID-19 pandemic, however, have set him back.
While Fleming played in all eight of Ohio State’s games in 2020, he was battling through a shoulder injury that had plagued him since high school, while the pandemic robbed him of the opportunity to have a full first offseason at Ohio State – which would have been crucial to his development after playing in a Wing-T offense in high school. He finished his freshman year with just seven catches for 74 yards.
Fleming wasn’t able to participate fully in spring practices after undergoing surgery on his injured shoulder this offseason, but was cleared in time for fall camp and appeared to have momentum entering the 2021 season, telling reporters in August that he felt he was “10 times better than what I was in high school.”
He suffered another setback in Ohio State’s third game of this season against Tulsa, however, when he injured his hamstring, keeping him off the field entirely for the Buckeyes’ next four games – all games in which he would have had the opportunity to play considerable snaps if he was healthy, as the Buckeyes won all of those games by decisive margins.
To suffer another injury this season was frustrating, Fleming acknowledged while meeting with reporters again on Wednesday, but he’s tried to keep a positive mindset while continuing to focus on his long-term development.
“It’s definitely been a frustrating process, but I’m just taking it day by day, trying to continue to get better and continue to stay healthy and that’s all I can ask for,” Fleming said. “I’m trying to be a professional about it, get in the training room as much as possible and we have one of the best training staffs in the country. So they’re just trying to help me get right and get healthy.”
Even with the time he’s missed, Fleming believes this year has been “a very big step” in his development, as he’s at least been able to be on campus all year and be part of a full offseason and season even though he hasn’t always been able to be on the field.
“I feel like I’m improving each and every week and I’m hoping to continue that,” Fleming said.
Fleming finally got to put his improvement on display last weekend against Nebraska, when he made his first start of the season – and played his first wide receiver snaps at all since the Tulsa game – in place of Garrett Wilson, who was unavailable to play against the Cornhuskers. Fleming played a career-high 56 snaps and graded out as a champion for the first time in his Ohio State career as he caught two passes for 22 yards – not including a 26-yard sideline grab that he and his coaches and teammates believed was a catch even though it was ruled incomplete.
— Julian Fleming (@julian_040) November 6, 2021
Fleming said “it meant a lot” to be named a champion and “it felt great just to be out on the field again.” He split snaps with true freshman Marvin Harrison Jr. alongside Chris Olave and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Ryan Day was impressed by what he saw from both Fleming and Harrison against Nebraska.
“It was great to get Marvin and Julian both out there,” Day said Tuesday. “They both I thought played well for not having played a whole bunch. And they both have really bright futures here. And really fortunate to have both of those guys as part of this program. Because you’re seeing what the future’s gonna be like at receiver, and it’s very, very bright.”
With Wilson expected to return to action this week, it’s uncertain how much playing time Fleming will see for the rest of the season. Olave, Wilson and Smith-Njigba played nearly all of the wide receiver snaps with the first-team offense prior to last week’s game, and Brian Hartline indicated last week that those three were likely continue to playing the vast majority of snaps as long as they are healthy.
“Being a former player, knowing where I was as a junior and senior, I didn’t want to come off the field,” Hartline said last week. “And I think people can see perspective on that sometimes, like one day it’s gonna be your opportunity, and let me know what you think. When you get in that spot, you can ask if you want me to take you off the field so maybe a younger guy can play.
“And to me, I think it’s past that. If I’m pulling a player off the field, you have to come in and compete at that exact same level or I’m doing a disservice to the O-line, the running back, the quarterback. That’s not fair. And it’s nothing on any player.”
For Fleming, that’s meant having to stay patient, and he acknowledges that isn’t easy when he wants to be out on the field making a bigger impact. He says he’s also grateful, though, that he’s had the opportunity to learn from Olave, Wilson and even fellow sophomore Smith-Njigba.
“It’s definitely hard to be patient,” Fleming said. “But just being behind such great guys and such great people that I came in with in the classes ahead of me, it’s been a great learning experience, and I’m just gonna take a lot of stuff with me into the future.”
Olave and Wilson are both likely to be in the NFL next season, and while Fleming will face plenty of competition for the open starting spots from Harrison, Emeka Egbuka and others, the Buckeyes’ decision to start him when Wilson was unavailable last week is a promising indicator for his chances of starting next year, especially considering Fleming had been sidelined with an injury of his own.
Fleming says he and Hartline have had conversations about the opportunities that could come for him down the line if he stays the course, but for right now, he says his focus is on being ready to contribute whenever he is called upon.
“We’ve had conversations like that, but I would say we’re more focused on the here and now and what we’re doing well, and just continuing to build and continuing to get better,” Fleming said.
“I feel like I’m improving each and every week and I’m hoping to continue that.” – Julian Fleming on his development
Because he was such a highly touted recruit and because he hasn’t played much at Ohio State yet, Fleming’s name is one that often gets brought up when college football fans speculate about players who could enter the transfer portal after this season. Although he didn’t entirely rule out the possibility of looking elsewhere, Fleming said Wednesday he expects to be back with the Buckeyes in 2022.
“A lot of people have jumped in (the transfer portal) and found paradise somewhere, but that’s not necessarily what I’m thinking right now,” Fleming said. “I’m just focused on this season and continuing to get better, and we’ll see what next year has, but I plan on being at Ohio State.”
Even though his career is off to a slow start, Fleming still believes he can accomplish great things as a Buckeye. While there have been setbacks along the way, Fleming believes he is starting to develop into the receiver he was expected to be when he arrived at Ohio State, and he hasn’t lowered his goals at all.
“When I first came in, I came in as just like an athlete, just regular talent, raw, not very polished or anything like that,” Fleming said. “But in the past one-and-a-half to two years, I feel like I’m starting to grow into that receiver role, and I definitely think the sky’s the limit.
“I want to be a first-round draft pick, I want to be in line for the Biletnikoff (Award), I just want to be great.”
Hartline says he’s been encouraged by the progress he’s seen from Fleming on the practice field even though he hasn’t played a lot.
“He had a great camp, and you could see everything going ... he comes back and he’s feeling better and he’s been good and making plays and (the other receivers) all just kind of look around at each other like, ‘Everyone see that?’” Hartline said. “So we’ll just keep progressing, and I think we’ll be in a good spot.”
Ohio State’s other wide receivers are also still expecting big things from Fleming. Olave and Smith-Njigba both said in recent interviews that Fleming has handled his injuries like a professional, and Olave described him as “one of those freak athletes that we have in the receiver room.”
“He’s been locked in,” Smith-Njigba said in October. “He’s been waiting to get on the field. He’s been battling through some stuff, but he’s a warrior. He’s been getting through it. And once he gets back on the field, it’s gonna be real scary.”
