When Julian Fleming walked onto the turf in Holuba Hall on Friday, the Penn State wide receiver wasn’t entering an unfamiliar situation for the school’s Pro Day. Four years ago, Fleming caught passes from Justin Fields during the future first-rounder’s audition for NFL teams following Fleming’s freshman year at Ohio State.
Much has changed since then. Last winter, Fleming returned home and traded the scarlet and gray for the blue and white for his final season of college football. The former high-profile five-star recruit bound for Columbus became the sage, wise presence in Happy Valley. He mentored his teammates. He helped the Nittany Lions win a key game at USC in October.
Now, Fleming is looking to take the next step in his career. And after auditioning for NFL teams Friday, Fleming explained what he believes he can add to a pro roster and how his unique college experience shaped him.
“I want them to know that I’ve never cheated my process, ever,” Fleming said. “I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in my career, and I’ve always come out on top of every hurdle that I’ve ran into, whether it be injuries, you know, a bad game, this, that and the third. But I’ve never, never changed my process. I sat behind great guys at Ohio State for two years that it was great to learn from. But I just never cheated the process. I stayed the course and I did what was asked of me.
“I went behind two great receivers, three great receivers. I played with soon-to-be six first-round draft pick receivers that have been in front of me who are also my peers, playing with, and I’ve stayed the course. I’ve done everything that was asked to me and just trying to act like a pro and doing what the team needs.”
The 6-foot-2, 208-pound Fleming caught 14 passes for 176 yards (12.6 yards per catch) and one touchdown last season. His high point of the season came when he caught two fourth-down completions on the game-tying drive against USC in the 33-30 overtime win in Los Angeles in October.
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The Catawissa, Pa., native finished his career with 93 catches for 1,139 yards (12.2 yards per catch) and eight touchdowns between his five seasons with the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions.
He burst onto the recruiting scene at Catawissa (Pa.) Southern Columbia in the late 2010s and finished the 2020 cycle as the No. 1 wide receiver in the country and the No. 4 overall prospect in the class, according to 247Sports. He picked Ohio State, and he appeared poised to join the parade of All-American wide receiver talent that had been stockpiled in Columbus.
Fleming dealt with injuries and never reached his five-star potential. And when he had one more year of eligibility remaining, he decided to come home.
“Honestly, my whole supporting staff is here, whole supporting crew is here,” Fleming said. “My entire family is an hour down the road, so that’s one big advantage. Being close to them was important to me.
“I think it was awesome. And obviously going as far as we did, almost making a national championship, was great. So my family was at almost every single game. If my family wasn’t here, I had a lot of friends that were able to come up to the games. So just having that supporting crew is really important to me.”
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While Fleming and Penn State fell one game short of the College Football Playoff national championship, Fleming watched as his former Ohio State teammates kicked into gear in the postseason and made a run to their first national championship in a decade.
“I’m always going to root for my guys, so it was really exciting to see them play,” Fleming said. “And they did, they did super well. I can’t sit here and say they didn’t. They came out, they played, they showed that they were one of the top teams in the country, and they were the best team that day.”
During his season at Penn State, Fleming always spoke highly of his former school and what his career there meant to him.
“I stayed my course at Ohio State. I paid my four years. That’s my alma mater. To this day, I’ll still claim them as my alma mater. I have no bad blood with any of the coaches. There’s still people that I can keep in touch with to this day, including my past teammates. It’s just a decision I made and I stuck with my decision.”
While looking back at his college career, Fleming also looked forward to what might be ahead of him in the draft process. Fleming posted modest marks at Pro Day — 4.68 seconds in the 40; 34.5 inches in the vertical jump; 10 feet, 3 inches in the broad jump; 4.27 seconds in the pro shuttle; 7.14 seconds in the three-cone — and said he was “pretty happy” with his performance.
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Fleming plans to continue working out ahead of the draft, and he plans to attend local days with the Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens and New York Giants. His conversations with teams at this point in the process had been “brief,” and he sounded as if he expected dialogue with teams to pick up once he completed his workouts.
He believes that the trajectory of his college career provides important insight to NFL teams about what he can bring to the roster.
“I think it’s valuable, so coaches and teams know that I’m not a headcase,” Fleming said. “I’m not someone that’s going to come in there put myself before the team. The team always comes first. I think that’s very important.”
Fleming has been a known commodity for quite some time, but there’s plenty of unknown in his next step. He might not be among the 257 selections over the 2025 NFL Draft’s three days. He might have to fight for a spot on a roster or practice squad. He might have to prioritize special teams.
But Fleming believes everything he’s endured positions himself well for what comes next. He’s seen the sport from all different angles. He knows what he can bring to the table. It’s about getting that opportunity.
“I contribute whatever they ask of me,” Fleming said. “At the end of the day, it’s a team sport, and the team always comes first. Then that takes priority. So whatever’s asked of me, I’m going to do it to the best of my ability.”
WATCH: Penn State Pro Day highlights as Nittany Lions work out for NFL teams
Daniel Gallen covers Penn State for Lions247 and 247Sports. He can be reached at daniel.gallen@paramount.com. Follow Daniel on X at @danieljtgallen, Instagram at @bydanieljtgallen and Bluesky at @danieljtgallen.bsky.social.
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