James Franklin is not typically aggressive in the transfer portal, but another year without beating Michigan or Ohio State may have finally brought the 10-year head coach of the Nittany Lions to a breaking point. Franklin added six players from the portal, many of whom were very highly-touted high school prospects from the state of Pennsylvania.
The Nittany Lions saw five players walk out the door into the portal and have lost even more talent to the NFL, so the pressure is on Franklin to fill those holes with his transfer class. Amongst that class are two SEC cornerbacks, a former Ohio State wide receiver, a former five-star offensive tackle, an edge rusher, and a kicker, but out of that pool of fresh talent, these three are the most important additions to the roster.
In 2020, Fleming was a five-star receiver that Ryan Day and the Buckeyes stole out of Pennsylvania. Now, after four underwhelming seasons in Columbus, Fleming has returned to his home state to play for the Nittany Lions in his final season of eligibility.
2022 was Fleming’s most productive year at Ohio State, catching 34 passes for 533 yards and six touchdowns, but he was constantly overshadowed by the bevy of first-round receivers on the Buckeyes roster. It was hard to stand out amongst players like Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and fellow PA native Marvin Harrison Jr.
It’s not clear if Fleming has the talent to be a dominant No. 1 receiver. At Ohio State, his primary utility was as a run-blocker, which he excelled at, but Drew Allar needs a No. 1 target and in a way, Fleming may be the player who most determines if Penn State can win the Big Ten.
If he blossoms with the increased opportunity in Happy Valley, then the Nittany Lions can win the conference, and maybe even make noise in the College Football Playoff, but that’s a big if. Fleming is crucially important to Penn State’s season, and if you’re relying on an Ohio State castoff to finally beat the Buckeyes, then you probably won’t.
James Franklin needed to do more at wide receiver this offseason because Fleming, KeAndre Lambert-Smith, and Harrison Wallace III are not enough to win a national championship. No matter how much Allar improves from Year 1 as a starter to Year 2, he isn't the type of player who can carry an offense above its limitations.
Another five-star out of high school, Harris didn’t play much in his one season at Georgia, recording just eight tackles and no pass breakups, but he’ll have a chance to start right away on Tom Allen’s defense next season.
Cam Miller, in the finale of his sophomore year, had an audition for the role of CB1 on the depth chart. With Johnny Dixon and Kalen King preparing for the draft, Miller was elevated to the top spot against Ole Miss, but it didn’t go well. He was often in the right spot, but just couldn’t finish plays often enough allowing seven catches including a touchdown in the Peach Bowl. Though even if he had a stellar performance in that game, cornerback was still going to be a massive need for the Nittany Lions.
Harris not only has a chance to be one of the top outside corners in 2024, but if he makes good on the potential that his high school pedigree indicates he has, then he could be next in line of early-round NFL cornerbacks to come out of Penn State like Joey Porter Jr. and Kalen King.
As a redshirt senior with one year of eligibility left, Kimber is in his third stop of his collegiate career. First, Kimber spent two years at Georgia, then two at Florida before finding his way to Happy Valley where, barring an unforeseen injury or unfortunate circumstance, he’ll finish his collegiate career.
Kimber doesn’t have the ceiling of the much younger Harris, but he’ll provide much-needed experience to the Penn State secondary. Under Manny Diaz, Penn State was one of the most blitz-happy teams in the country, which naturally leaves cornerbacks in one-on-one situations. Kimber can be trusted to survive in those circumstances after a season in which he played the fifth most snaps on the Florida defense and finished with a team-high five pass breakups. That is if Tom Allen decides to play that way.
The Big Ten just welcomed a whole lot of offense to the conference with the additions of Oregon, Washington, UCLA, and USC. The Nittany Lions have three of those teams in their schedule along with Ohio State in 2024, so pass defense will be key, and Kimber is the one cornerback with a long enough track record of success to trust.