Will Fuller had the best statistical season of any sophomore wide receiver in Notre Dame history. (Read that sentence again.)
After a largely anonymous freshman year where Fuller ran mostly “go” patterns, the Philadelphia native put together an All-American caliber campaign. His 15 touchdown catches tied the single-season record set by two guys named Tate and Samardzija (who were both decent baseball players).
Fuller scored touchdowns in just about every manner possible—deep routes, screens and everything in between. So while November’s swoon took the air out of the Irish, Fuller’s elite season was exactly that.
Now for the encore.
With a major change at quarterback and an offense that could switch preferred modes of transportation, Fuller besting his 2014 numbers might be a stretch. But there’s still plenty of room for improvement from Notre Dame’s best playmaker.
Let’s take a look at Will Fuller.
WILL FULLER
6'0", 180 lbs.
Junior, No. 7, WR
RECRUITING PROFILE
Fuller was a largely anonymous recruit when Notre Dame came on the scene, though they did beat out an offer—and brief commitment—from Penn State for the Philadelphia Catholic League standout.
Fuller’s star-rating went up after some big-time performances on the second-tier All-Star circuit. But outside of the Irish and Nittany Lions, only Boston College and Rutgers gave offers at the BCS level.
(So credit BK for some diamond-in-the-rough recruiting...)
PLAYING CAREER
Freshman Season (2013): Played in all 13 games, starting against Oklahoma, USC and Air Force. Made six catches for 160 yards on the season, with a team-leading 26.7 yards per catch. Scored on a 47-yard completion against Air Force. Also chipped in eight yards on two rushing attempts.
Sophomore Season (2014): Honorable Mention All-American, Sports Illustrated. Notre Dame’s Offensive Player of the Year. Started all 13 games, leading the team in catches (76), yards (1,094) and touchdown catches (15). Had touchdowns in 11 of 13 games, with eight of his touchdown catches coming from 20 yards or more out.
WHAT WE SAID LAST YEAR
Hear that? It’s me, patting myself on the back.I’ve gone on the record saying that Fuller will go for 1,000 yards in 2014 and there’s no reason to back away from it now. While Fuller needs to prove he has the consistency — and durability — to play dominant football week in and week out, the Irish offense has too many weapons to cover. Single-coverage over the top against Fuller could end up with the sophomore putting up big numbers in a hurry.
Again, what makes these kind of predictions difficult is the fact that there are other options at receiver. DaVaris Daniels should have a monster 2014. Corey Robinson looks poised to do so as well. Add in the options at slot receiver and a veteran like Chris Brown and this is hardly like the early years of Brian Kelly’s offense, desperately searching for a No. 2 to take the pressure off of Michael Floyd.
Fuller has great hands and the ability to do more than run vertically. We should see that and expect him to sneak up on opponents, a sophomore surge that should put Fuller on the map.
FUTURE POTENTIAL
Throw me in the contingency that just doesn’t get why Fuller isn’t getting more love on a national level. This kid sliced and diced just about every defense he faced, with only Fuller capable of slowing himself down—drops and mental miscues seemingly the only thing plaguing his game.
He doesn’t have a freaky, NFL No. 1 receiver body, but he sure does a lot of things that separate him from the pack. And while Brian Kelly was slow to call Fuller a “No. 1 receiver,” it didn’t take too long for him to change his tune, all but saying that Fuller can do what he wants when he wants to, as long as he keeps developing as a player and keeps his head in the game.
Of course, Fuller snuck up on people last season. A marked man in 2015, we’ll see how he does with a safety over the top and a new quarterback throwing to him. But if he puts together another season close to his last, there’s a real question whether Fuller finishes his four seasons or just heads to the NFL after 2015.
CRYSTAL BALL
Fuller’s trajectory is eerily similar to that of Golden Tate, though Fuller is probably a better vertical player than Tate, while the current Lions standout does better in traffic and as a playmaker with the ball in his hands.
In many ways, Fuller reminds me of a super-charged TJ Jones, a smooth receiver who has an extra gear that Jones didn’t possess—telling, considering Jones logged a 4.4 during his combine 40-yard dash.
All the comparisons in the world don’t replace a prediction for 2015, an educated guess with a lot of variables at play now that Malik Zaire is running the offense and Mike Sanford was brought in to recharge the playbook. The biggest question will be opportunity—will Fuller get the chances to make plays that he did with Everett Golson at quarterback?
I’m saying yes. Not just because Zaire and Fuller connected for the biggest play of the Blue-Gold game on a perfect deep ball by Zaire, but also because of the play they didn’t connect on, a sure touchdown that hit Fuller’s hands against USC in a lopsided contest.
Fuller will be expected to pull down those throws in 2015. And he likely will with another season of focus and maturity taking his game to the next level. So while the receiving depth chart is deeper than it’s ever been and the running game will take precedent, Brian Kelly is still the same guy running the program.
So if you think he’s forgetting about one of the nation’s most dangerous receivers, I’ve got some natural grass from Notre Dame Stadium to sell you.
THE 2015 IRISH A-to-Z
Josh Adams, RB
Josh Barajas, OLB
Nicky Baratti, S
Alex Bars, OL
Asmar Bilal, OLB
Hunter Bivin, OL
Grant Blankenship, DE
Jonathan Bonner, DE
Miles Boykin, WR
Justin Brent, WR
Greg Bryant, RB
Devin Butler, CB
Jimmy Byrne, OL
Daniel Cage, DL
Amir Carlisle, RB
Nick Coleman, DB
Te’von Coney, LB
Shaun Crawford, DB
Scott Daly, LS
Sheldon Day, DL
Michael Deeb, LB
Micah Dew-Treadway, DL
Steve Elmer, RG
Matthias Farley, DB
Nicco Fertitta, DB
Tarean Folston, RB
