“Looking sharp, Calvin” and “Wow, you’re getting your picture taken?” were comments aimed his way.
To which Fleming replied, “It’s about time.”
Indeed. His time has come.
After biding his time behind more experienced players for two years and battling through an injury last season, Fleming is getting a chance to shine as a senior starting cornerback for second-ranked Mary Hardin-Baylor.
So far, he’s making the most of his opportunity with 14 tackles - 1½ for loss - and four pass breakups. But his performance should come as no surprise. After all, he’s been a cornerback since he first donned the pads as a seventh grader in Killeen and all of his home games have been played within a 30-square mile area.
“It’s great playing this close to home,” said Fleming, a former high school standout for the Kangaroos. “My family and all of my friends in Killeen come to the games and support me.
“And Killeen was a winning program, and now I’m at a winning program here. So, it’s not that different. I expect to win.”
Fleming spent his freshman year playing for UMHB’s junior varsity and split time his sophomore season between the JV and a reserve role on the varsity.
He was expected to play a key role as a junior and finally did as a starter in all three playoff games, but only after missing six games with a staph infection.
Once he got on the field, he made an impact with 15 tackles and two interceptions while trying to absorb everything his elder teammates were teaching him.
“Last year was different because I was playing with a lot of experienced players like Josh Kubiak and Ricky Lopez,” Fleming said. “I was trying to pick up on the things that they did.
“This year, I’m in more of a leadership role. As a senior, I’m an old guy in the secondary trying to help the younger guys come along and not get rattled as much in big games.”
In their aggressive defensive scheme that often calls for man-to-man coverage, Fleming’s talent and leadership skills have been a boost for the Crusaders.
“We used to worry about how we would get help to our corners against certain formations,” UMHB defensive coordinator Larry Harmon said. “Now, that hasn’t been a big concern for us because of the way our corners can play.
“Fleming is one of the smartest players we have as far as being football smart. He can play either corner’s spot, because he knows it all.”
Fleming might be making the most of his chances because this is his last go-round. After 10 years of football - and several of basketball and track - his athletic career will be over at season’s end.
“I used to play basketball and run track. Basketball used to be my favorite until I got to high school and we weren’t winning much, so I thought, ‘I’ll go with football,’” said Fleming, a business management major. “And I don’t want to coach. After this, there’s no more football for me. This is it.”
So when Fleming hangs up his cleats, he will have played 10 seasons - all at cornerback. How can it be that a high-caliber athlete started at one position in middle school and stayed there all the way through college?
“Can’t catch,” Fleming said matter-of-factly. “It’s hard to catch a football.”
What a coincidence. Because after spending four quarters with Fleming shadowing their every move, that’s exactly what opposing receivers must be thinking.
