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Penn State hosted the top prospect in Pennsylvania last Saturday, as wide receiver Julian Fleming of Southern Columbia High in Catawissa, Pa., attended the Appalachian State game. He ended up seeing a closer game than most expected, as the Nittany Lions escaped with a 45-38 win in overtime. "It felt like they threw it around a lot and really did try to open it up downfield," Fleming said. "They're getting their pass- ing game to match their strength, which is the run. They came out a little rusty, but Coach [James] Franklin will clean every- thing up. They got the win. That's all that matters." Before kickoff, the 2020 prospect said that he spent time with several assistant coaches, including wide receivers coach David Corley. He also met with Franklin for a few minutes on the field before the game. "When we talk, it's never really recruiting talk with them anymore," Fleming said. "With Penn State, it's just casual talk now. They're always asking about my season, my family, how I'm doing, stuff like that. When I got there, Coach Corley came over to talk with us while I was eating. It was good to see him. I also got to talk with Coach Franklin down on the field before kickoff." It was well known that Fleming had built a very strong relationship with former Penn State receivers coach Josh Gattis. When Gattis leC for Alabama, many wondered if the move would ultimately hurt the Nittany Lions' chances. But he's since gotten to know Corley, and it appears that Penn State is still in good position. "I definitely feel comfortable with Coach Corley," Fleming said. "He's still one of the new coaches there, but he's been there a while now and we've been talking that en- tire time. Coach Corley and I really have de- veloped a good relationship now. It's not just about football with him. We talk about everything." Fleming added, "I know he's doing a good job with their receivers, too. Guys like K.J. [Hamler] looked great last night." Like many of the other top recruits in the Class of 2020, Fleming was bombarded with messages Friday at midnight, when college coaches were allowed to contact players in his class. In addition to Penn State, he heard from Florida, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Vir- ginia Tech and many others. "It was interesting as soon as the clock hit midnight," Fleming said. "When I counted up my text messages and [direct messages], it ended up being around 40 different coaches. "It was a little overwhelming, I'm not going to lie. But at the same time, it's nice knowing that you're important and wanted." Fleming already knows when he'll return to Penn State, as he has confirmed that he plans to attend the White Out game against Ohio State on Sept. 29. He added that some other visits are also in the works. "I'm thinking about going to the Penn State-Pitt game," he said. "It's not set in stone or anything like that. I'm still thinking about it. I do know I'll be at the Penn State- Ohio State game, and I'm also planning to go to Ohio State-Michigan at the end of the year. There's some other visits I'm looking at, too. I still have to lock most of these visits up, but I'm thinking about them." Last Friday, Fleming had seven receptions for 113 yards and three touchdowns in a 41- 7 win over Mount Carmel. Southern Co- lumbia is going for back-to-back PIAA Class AA state championships following last year's 16-0 season. S E P T E M B E R   5 ,   2 0 1 8 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 17 R Y A N   S N Y D E R | S N Y D E R 4 2 0 8 8 @ G M A I L . C O M R E C R U I T I N G Fleming giving Nittany Lions strong consideration CLASS OF 2019 NAME POS HT WT RATING HOME SCHOOL Hakeem Beamon DL 6-3 255 ★★★★ Chesterfield, Va. Lloyd C. Bird JaQuan Brisker DB 6-2 200 ★★★ Monroeville, Pa. Lackawanna College Lance Dixon LB 6-2 200 ★★★ West Bloomfield, Mich. West Bloomfield John Dunmore WR 6-3 170 ★★★★ Hollywood, Fla. Chaminade Madonna Keaton Ellis DB 6-0 160 ★★★ State College, Pa. State College Area Devyn Ford RB 5-11 195 ★★★★★ Stafford, Va. North Stafford Michael Johnson Jr. QB 6-3 202 ★★★★ Eugene, Ore. Sheldon Taquan Roberson QB 6-0 198 ★★★★ Wayne, N.J. DePaul Catholic Tyler Rudolph DB 6-1 205 ★★★★ Oakdale, Conn. St. Thomas More Emery Simmons WR 6-1 186 ★★★ Fayetteville, N.C. South View Brandon Smith LB 6-3 218 ★★★★ Mineral, Va. Louisa County Caedan Wallace OL 6-4 330 ★★★★ Princeton, N.J. Hun School Anthony Whigan OL 6-5 295 ★★★ Great Mills, Md. Lackawanna College Marquis Wilson DB 6-0 175 ★★★★ Windsor, Conn. Windsor Saleem Wormley OL 6-4 300 ★★★★ Smyrna, Del. Smyrna * As of Aug. 28 P E N N S T A T E C O M M I T M E N T S * C L A S S O F 2 0 1 9

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