Dorian Fleming had 16 family members and friends who made the eight-hour drive from Virginia to watch him play in Georgia State’s opener last week. No way he was going to disappoint them. And no way he was going to squander an opportunity to play meaningful snaps for the first time in his career.
Fleming is a 6-foot-3, 235-pound sophomore tight end from Colonial Heights, Virginia, about 30 minutes south of Richmond. He was one of the bright spots in Georgia State’s 35-12 loss to Georgia Tech. Fleming caught four passes for a team-high 68 yards and one touchdown. It was a nice feeling for Fleming, who played in four games last year and did not have a reception. Given a chance, he took advantage of it.
“Last year I really didn’t get to play much,” he said. “I feel like this system fits me a little bit better.”
With his own cheering section in the stands, Fleming had additional motivation. And when they drew up a play late in the third quarter that had him as a target, Fleming was prepared for the moment.
“They called it, and I kind of told myself, be ready, locked down, and I was wide open,” Fleming said. “You’ve got to make those plays.”
Quarterback Christian Veilleux delivered the ball, and Fleming, who beat the coverage down the left side, caught the pass in stride and went untouched into the end zone.
It was the opportunity that Fleming was hoping for when Dell McGee became the head coach in the spring. He said he never really considered moving into the transfer portal.
“I wanted to see what he was going to bring for us, as far as coaching staff-wise,” Fleming said. “Georgia State is somewhere I committed to play football and come to school. I was excited about how spring ball went and how far it went. So, I decided this is the place for me.”
McGee said the success was a good first step for Fleming, but warned he remains a work in progress.
“He showed that throughout (preseason) camp,” McGee said. “He has big capabilities of making big plays, catches. ... He’s an all-around tight end, which he showed Saturday. You’ve got to move on to the next step. That game is over and just because you had a successful moment in a previous game doesn’t guarantee you’re going to have successful moments in the next game. Someone else may have to step up and make plays. So we try not to give moments life. Every moment has its own identity. Every play we have to win, each moment, each play.”
The Panthers will make their home opener at 7 p.m. Saturday against Chattanooga at Center Parc Stadium. (ESPN-Plus). The Mocs, ranked No. 10 in the FCS, were drubbed 69-3 by Tennessee in their opener.
Chattanooga’s top players are UCLA transfer quarterback Chase Artopoeus (2,672 yards in 2023) and wide receiver Javin “Nunu” Whatley of Cedartown. Both were on the preseason All-Southern Conference team.
The teams have met only once, with Chattanooga winning 42-14 in 2013, GSU’s second season in its transformation to the FBS.
McGee is pleased with the development of the team but wants to see how it takes the next step now that the excitement of playing the first game has passed. “The biggest thing now is how do our guys flush one game and move onto the next game and get into that routine,” he said. “Because things happen a lot quicker. Got a lot of things to iron out but pleased where we are.”
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