Notre Dame wide receiver Malachi Fields runs with the ball during a football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Thursday, July 31, 2025, in South Bend. MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Malachi Fields is Already Making an Impact After Transferring to Notre Dame Football

Originally posted on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI
By Scott Salomon | Last updated Aug 12, 2025 7:31 AM ET

After practice Sunday, Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Malachi Fields spoke about how remarkably easy it was for him to leave his home state of Virginia for the not-so-familiar pastures of South Bend, Indiana.

“I was ready to just explore somewhere outside of home,” Fields said. “Just being there 21 years and going to school there, I think I was ready to get out of my comfort zone, out of my hometown and just explore. Experience something new, which is necessary for growth.”

Fields played at the University of Virginia and was one of the most prolific receivers in school history. He also took the Atlantic Coast conference by storm, individually, but he does not know what team success is like.

He left his comfort zone of Charlottesville and headed to Notre Dame. He went 17-29 over his four years at Virginia. He played for two different coaches. It did not start well, and it did not end well.

Malachi Fields is going to have people torn on how to feel about him, but I have yet to see a more physical receiver who has traits to build on heading into 2025:

- Physical player who will fight for extra yards
- Finds holes in the defense
- Good footwork and fluid hips pic.twitter.com/vI9C2Bqg3u
— Andrew Harbaugh (@MandrewNFL) June 30, 2025

He started his career with a broken bone in his foot and took a medical redshirt. He started to play more as the years grew, but he did not taste victory very often. He comes to Notre Dame, who played for the College Football Playoff national championship last season, looking for one last chance to get a ring.

He is in South Bend to share what he knows with others.. He wants to help the players younger than him. Fields is also looking for the upperclassmen to share their stories so he can understand where everyone is coming from.

“Just trying to take what I know and instill it into others, as well as listening to the younger guys, seeing what they have to add,” Fields said. “Because we all come from different parts of the world, and they’ve been a successful program.”

Fields brings a big body with him to the Irish program. He stands 6-foot-4 and weights 222 pounds. He will line up out wide and leave a message to any cornerback that tries to cover him one-on-one. There better be a safety over the top, or it is going to be a long afternoon or night for the opposition.

Over the last two seasons, playing for a dismal Virginia team, he caught 103 passes for 1,619 yards and 10 touchdowns. He knows how to play the game very well. He just needed a better team around him.

“We won’t just leave him in the boundary,” receivers coach Mike Brown said. “We’ll move him all over the place and find different ways to get him the ball because he’s that type of player, and I think you have to do that.”

For more Irish news & notes, follow Scott Salomon on Twitter @ScottSalomonNFL.

This article first appeared on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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