Rumored Penn State transfer portal WR target, former top in-state recruit trending to Big Ten foe

Penn State football landed its first transfer portal commitment of the 2023 offseason Monday afternoon in OL prospect Alan Herron. While you can never get enough depth on the offensive front, what the Nittany Lions really need out of the portal are playmakers at WR. James Franklin and the staff are believed to be in the mix with several portal prospects, but there’s been no concrete movement toward a commitment to date. However, the Nittany Lions may be trending in the opposite direction with one key player. Reports suggest that rumored Penn State transfer portal WR target and former top in-state recruit Julian Fleming is now favored to land at Big Ten rival Nebraska.

Rumored Penn State transfer portal WR target Julian Fleming now trending toward Nebraska

When Ohio State WR Julian Fleming entered the transfer portal on December 4, Penn State football seemed like a logical place for the former Buckeye to land. Fleming grew up 90 miles from State College and was the No. 1 overall player in Pennsylvania in the class of 2020. James Franklin and the Nittany Lions were the early leaders during Fleming’s high school recruitment until he committed to Ohio State in 2019.

But as expected, the former top high school WR in the country has plenty of other suitors. Over the weekend, it was reported that Fleming was expected to visit with the Nebraska Cornhuskers this week. Nebraska is already predicted to land former Ohio State starting QB Kyle McCord via the transfer portal.

And now, a potential union between Penn State football and the former top in-state prospect is appearing less and less likely. As of Tuesday afternoon, On3 now gives Nebraska a 95% chance of landing Julian Fleming. The Nittany Lions are a distant second at 2.7%.

Who else are the Nittany Lions targeting in the portal?

Getting a commitment from Julian Fleming, the No. 20 overall player in the transfer portal according to 247Sports, would be a major victory for Nebraska. Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule has recently picked up some serious momentum on the portal and recruiting trail. In addition to McCord, Nebraska is also expected to flip five-star QB Dylan Raiola from Georgia.

On the flip side, it’s unclear just how seriously James Franklin and Penn State football kicked the tires on Fleming. But what is clear is that the Nittany Lions need to add to the WR room via the portal this offseason.

The most likely candidates at this time seem to be North Carolina’s Andre Greene Jr. and Indiana’s Jaylin Lucas. Both Greene and Lucas, who played a hybrid RB/WR role for the Hoosiers, were on campus this weekend. Penn State already landed one commitment from this weekend’s visitors in OL Alan Herron. If another transfer portal commitment is imminent, it’s likely from this bunch.

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