JULIAN FLEMING STILL CONFIDENT HE CAN ACCOMPLISH BIG THINGS AT OHIO STATE DESPITE INJURY SETBACKS

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.

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