Notre Dame Football Exit Interviews: Will Fuller

With Will Fuller’s departure for the NFL, Notre Dame is losing its most prolific and productive wide receiver since Golden Tate. How will they compensate?

Considering the 2015-2016 college football season has finally come to a close and underclassmen have officially declared for the 2016 NFL Draft, Slap the Sign presents its “Exit Interviews,” where we review the players leaving the program, what they’re leaving behind and taking with them, and how Notre Dame plans on replacing their production and experience.

Will Fuller, WR

November 28, 2015; Stanford, CA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Will Fuller (7) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against Stanford Cardinal during the first half at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

Production at ND

Will Fuller came into Notre Dame as a skinny, unheralded freshman receiver that the Irish poached from Penn State, where he was originally committed. After a quiet freshman season laboring behind upperclassmen, Fuller broke out in 2014 as one of the best deep-threat receivers in the country, catching 76 passes for 1,094 yards and 15 touchdowns. No longer a secret weapon and instead the focal point of every opposing secondary, Fuller stepped up his game another notch and continuously torched defenses scheming against him in 2015, catching 62 passes for 1,298 yards and 14 touchdowns.

What His Departure Means

Fuller is probably the biggest loss for Brian Kelly’s offense, as his skill set is the least readily available of those departing the team this year. Stocked with a bevy of wide receivers, the Notre Dame offensive depth chart does not have another player who can blow the top off of a defense like Fuller, or who can switch to the after-burners when the ball is in the air and create the separation necessary to turn a deep ball into a touchdown like he can. He was simply elite in that regard. Furthermore, Fuller had a flair for the dramatic, constantly coming up with huge, momentum-swinging plays when the Irish needed them most, so ND will need someone to shoulder that play-making load and make the big play through the air when needed.

Who Will Step In?

This will be interesting, as the Irish have plenty of talented receivers vying for playing time that could step into Fuller’s position on the outside and begin producing. One of the favorites is sophomore-to-be Equanimeous St. Brown, who Brian Kelly said would definitely have been getting game reps as a true freshman if he didn’t happen to sit directly behind Fuller on the depth chart. Tall, fast, and gifted with incredible hands (and a spectacular name), St. Brown is poised to earn a lot of time in place of Fuller next season.

Torii Hunter Jr. is another potential back-fill. Hunter will certainly start next season, but it is unclear if it will be in the slot (where he played a great 2015 season) or if he will move to the outside. Kelly has stated he could play any of the receiver positions, so look for Hunter to possibly fill an outside spot and someone like C.J. Sanders to take over in the slot.

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Finally, in completely getting ahead of ourselves in projecting greatness from recruits not even committed to Notre Dame, we need to mention current 2016 recruiting target Demetris Robertson, a 5-star WR from Georgia who has the speed and athleticism to immediately come in and fill a similar role to the one Fuller has played the past two seasons.

Time will tell if Robertson even signs with the Irish, but no matter who takes over for Fuller, it’s unlikely they will be as dangerous or awe-inspiring in their speed and play-making ability. However, production-wise, the talent is there for ND to not skip too much of a beat and to continue moving the ball through the air.

Pat’s Favorite Memory from Fuller’s Career

This is Will Fuller we’re talking about. He’s got essentially the best package of wide receiver highlights imaginable. But, because I didn’t find a comprehensive Fuller Highlight Extravaganza Video that I love in the 2 minutes I spent searching for one on YouTube, here are multiple favorite highlights of mine from his incredibly exciting career. Be warned, most of these are pretty savage.

His first career touchdown in 2013…

His decimation of the Rice secondary while announcing his presence in the 2014 opener:

His game-winning, season-saving touchdown against Virginia:

Him absolutely torching one of the absolute fastest players in the country:

His game-winning catch against Temple…

Making Pitt pay for throwing single coverage at him:

Running by everyone on Stanford:

Fuller at less than 100% burning the Buckeyes:

And last but certainly not least, an incredible catch that contributed to the team’s complete evisceration of Michigan in the final game of the series, and led to a fantastic Everett Golson airplane celebration:

Will Fuller is one of the most productive receivers in Notre Dame history, and will make some NFL offense an instant vertical threat with his top-of-the-line speed and knack for making the big catch. I expect to see him become a fine starter for some lucky team and make a quarterback very happy that he just has to throw it a long way and Fuller will be there. Congrats to Will on an incredible career (144 catches, 2,512 yards, 30 TD) and wish him the best of luck in the draft and beyond!

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