Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver William Fuller (7) catches a pass for a touchdown in front of Stanford Cardinal cornerback Terrence Alexander (11) in the second quarter at Stanford Stadium. Matt Cashore/USA TODAY Sports
Will Fuller will forgo his final season of eligibility and enter the 2016 NFL draft, the junior announced on social media today.
The wide receiver has been the Irish’s most potent weapon for the past two seasons, catching a total of 29 touchdowns since the season opener vs. Rice. That’s the most of any FBS receiver in that two year period.
Fuller had 62 catches for 1,258 yards and 14 touchdowns this year, and was named team Most Valuable Player in a vote of his teammates during last month’s banquet.
In total, Fuller had 144 catches for 2,512 yards during his Notre Dame career. In comparison, Jeff Samardzija had 179 catches for 2,593 yards in his four years at Notre Dame – which puts him at third on the all time yardage list.
https://twitter.com/Will_Fuller7/status/683723130842419200
Fuller had told beat writers in mid-November that he would return for his senior season, but requested a draft evaluation.
It was said by many that there was no quarterback that could overthrow Will Fuller. Even though it wasn’t technically true, Fuller caught many long bombs – including a 39 yard score to finish a comeback against Virginia in the team’s second game. He also outran notorious speedster Adoree’ Jackson in a win over USC.
Enjoy these highlights from the current season, put together by a random fellow on the Internet:
Despite the loss of Fuller, senior Chris Brown and 5th year senior Amir Carlisle, the Irish will still be loaded at wide receiver in 2016. I am a big fan of sophomore Corey Holmes, who had an outstanding spring game. Corey Robinson and Torii Hunter Jr. will be the senior leaders next year, with Miles Boykin and C.J. Sanders as sophomores (Boykin redshirted this year.) The Irish also have two verbal commitments from receivers Kevin Stepherson and Chase Claypool.
In last month’s evaluation, my fellow contributor Moons designated Fuller as “needs to stay“:
Simply put: Fuller’s hands need work in order for him to succeed at the next level. The skill most coveted at the NFL level for receivers is the ability to make catches in traffic, and that’s by far Fuller’s biggest weakness. Whether this is something he can change over the course of one more season might be a bigger question, but Fuller’s got the most to gain by coming back and showing greater consistency on the ordinary. Fuller’s already pointed towards a return next season, and that’s a good thing. His pocket book and NFL future might thank him for that deferred decision down the line.
Inside the Irish’s Keith Arnold says there is no consensus on Fuller, with some draft experts speculating that he could go late in the first round while others consider him a Day 2 (Rounds 2 and 3) pick.
Notre Dame graduate, class of '02 (the Davie years!). A former newspaper and TV reporter, andrewwinn is now professionally involved in something far less fun to discuss than college football. A dad, a husband and a wannabe data nerd.
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