When it comes to adding players through the transfer portal, Penn State coach James Franklin has repeatedly said familiarity helps.
So does glaring need, which is exactly what the Nittany Lions have in their receiving corps.
“We have to scare people and be able to scare people and be a constant threat on the perimeter,” Franklin said minutes after Penn State's loss in the Peach Bowl to Ole Miss, a game in which no Penn State wide receiver caught a catch. Pass until the fourth quarter.
Less than a week into the season, the receiving corps is already starting to change. Former Ohio State receiver Julian Fleming, who was previously a recruiting target at Penn State, announced his plans to transfer to the Nittany Lions on Wednesday. Former Kent State transfer Dante Cevas, who was one of the most sought-after receivers in the transfer portal last year, enters his name into the portal again, The athlete Certain.
Here are some thoughts on Penn State's changing receiving corps:
Clearly something had happened between the receiver and the coaching staff in the lead up to the bowl game. Cevas has played 342 snaps with the offense this season, according to TruMedia, but has never seen the field in a bowl game. He was on the sideline during the game and walked off the field immediately afterward. Because he did not play, he was not available in the team's open locker room. Cevas' 342 snaps were the second most by a wide receiver.
Franklin, interim co-offensive coordinator Jajuan Seider and receivers coach Marquis Hagans gave slightly different answers as to why Cephas won't play. Franklin said it's an “open competition” every week and pointed to the return of injured receiver Harrison Wallace III as part of the reason he passed over Sivas on the depth chart. Hagans said it came down to “responsibility for how we coach the players and who gives us the best chance of winning.” “If a kid's not on the field, he certainly hasn't done his part of the bargain,” Seider said.
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The bowl game marked the end of a disappointing season for Cephas, who had the opportunity to come to Happy Valley and be the No. 1 receiver. Instead, he didn't get to campus until after spring ball, and has been playing catch-up ever since. It looked like Cephas had turned a corner during Penn State's win over Maryland in November. However, Sivas' stat line that day — six receptions, 52 yards and two touchdowns — became an anomaly and not something to build upon. Cephas finished the season with 22 receptions for 246 yards and two touchdowns, disappointing numbers that were still good enough to rank second among the team's wide receivers in catches and yards behind KeAndre Lambert-Smith.
When Hagans spoke about his future team in December and was asked about Sivas, he expressed optimism for the future.
“It took a while for everything to slow down, and we hope it continues to grow trajectory now,” Hagans said. “He's a talented young man and I think he's got to continue to invest his time, you know, to really become the best he can at all the little things and I think that will pay huge dividends for him. . . . If I can get the players in in January it gives them a better chance.
While Cephas could technically withdraw his name from the portal, having that happen — and Penn State along with it — seems highly unrealistic at this point.
Pennsylvania native Julian Fleming will trade to the Buckeyes for the Nittany Lions as a graduate transfer. (Matthew O'Haren/USA Today)
Fleming returns home to Happy Valley
Fleming said no to Penn State coming out of high school, but this time the South Columbia High School star has decided to play for the home team. It makes a lot of sense for both parties too.
Fleming graduated from Ohio State in December, which means he is eligible to enroll at Penn State this month. That should give him plenty of time to work with Drew Allar while everyone starts learning Andy Kotelnicki's offense together this winter. Much of Sivas' difficulties seem to come from his inability to score in January. This shouldn't be a problem with Fleming. It also helps that he's coming from a fellow Big Ten program — the learning curve may be less steep since Fleming has a basic knowledge of many of these same defenses and the defensive backs Penn State will play.
Penn State coaches have said multiple times that when they make a scholarship offer to a player in the transfer portal, they need to make sure the player fits the boardroom as well as the offense. Fleming's experience could also make him a leader after a season in which the future team seemed to need a leader.
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Julian Fleming transfers to Penn State from Ohio State
Without naming names — because coaches can't do that until a player is signed — I asked Hagans last month default What the senior wide receiver can add to his unit.
“Older players add wisdom,” Hagans said. “They add leadership. They add an understanding of what it means to be successful in college because they've been there longer. Is your room fresh and does it need older guidance and leadership? Or is the room ready and just needs more players to create competition? I think it just comes down to what this team needs.” room on a year-to-year basis, but older players can usually add a lot of value on the field, but also off the field as well.
During Fleming's four seasons at Ohio State, he had injury issues and never put up the numbers of a five-star player, but that's the pilot both sides need to make for a season. Fleming is an immediate starter here. He's someone whose ability as a barrier is also very valuable. At 6-2, 210 pounds, Alar gives a big target even if no one knows for sure what Kotelnicki's offense will look like next season.
Fleming started 22 games during his time at Ohio State and also has experience playing in the biggest games. This is valuable. During his career, he caught 80 passes for 990 yards and seven touchdowns. Fleming's most productive season came during his junior year (34 catches, 533 yards, six TDs). This season with Kyle McCord at quarterback — and while playing alongside two of the best receivers in the country — Fleming posted 26 receptions for 270 yards and no touchdowns.
He's been given a fresh start and a clear path to a bigger role. Penn State gets an experienced receiver in a room that desperately needs answers after searching for them all of 2023.
What will the 2024 WR corps look like?
Lambert-Smith has not announced what his future entails. Penn State's No. 1 receiver this season declined to meet with the media after the bowl game, but the public decision should come any day now — the spring semester begins next week. He has faded this season with just two goals in his last four games, but he has another year of eligibility if he wants to use them.
The interesting thing is that if I tried to project Penn State's 2024 start by welcoming the Legion now, I would be satisfied with two picks and fly into the dark on the third. Again, I'm leaving Lambert-Smith out of this because we don't know if he'll be back next year. So, in my opinion, Fleming and Wallace – if he can stay healthy – will be the locks at this point, with Omari Evans likely the next guy up.
Keep in mind that Penn State should work on trying to add another wide receiver as well. It added Sivas and Malik MacLean last winter, though they didn't make the kind of impact Penn State was hoping for. Perhaps a lesson to be learned from all of this is that not every transfer addition will fundamentally change the roster.
The way Penn State's snaps have been distributed this season would largely support the idea that Evans is next in line. According to TruMedia, a breakdown of the offensive picks for wide receivers this season:
“When it comes to college is different for everyone,” Hagans said last month of Evans. “For him, just staying the course and continuing to do what he's asked to do and then get the opportunity and make the most of it. I think the light is starting to come on for him.”
(Top photo by Dante Cephas: Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
