Notre Dame Impact Players For 2025: No. 30 Wide Receiver Will Pauling

Notre Dame is now 30 days away from kicking off the 2025 season against the Miami Hurricanes down in Hard Rock Stadium. The Irish will be relying on some impact players to get them through the home opener as well as getting them back to another run at the National Championship. I broke down who I believe will be the top 50 impactful players for Notre Dame this season. Let’s continue this countdown to kickoff with my No. 30 most impactful player, Wisconsin transfer wide receiver Will Pauling.

Pauling transferred to Notre Dame in the winter portal window and has been with the program since January. He spent his first two years in college with the Cincinnati Bearcats and followed his wide receiver coach Mike Brown to Wisconsin in 2023 where he had his best collegiate season. Brown and Pauling have now reunited in South Bend where he's hoping to make a lasting impression in his final year of eligibility.

What He Brings To The Table

The Chicago native entered Notre Dame's wide receiver room and immediately became one of their best route runners. In 2023, his breakout season with Wisconsin, Pauling was a route running technician which helped him finish the year with 74 receptions, 837 receiving yards and six touchdowns. He was in and out of the lineup last season for the Badgers due to injuries but that still didn't prevent him from having a nine catch, 83 yard and one touchdown performance against Alabama.

He's shown his playmaking ability after the catch and as a crafty route runner, but this past spring and throughout the summer, Pauling began to showcase an aspect of his game that wasn't on display in Madison: his true downfield speed. Last season, the 5-10 190 pound receiver made Feldman's Freaks List after posting gaudy weight lifting numbers and a 4.39 40 yard dash time. Lethal over the top speed is something the Irish have been lacking on offense at the receiver position, and Pauling brings that element to the forefront in 2025.

What Is His Impact?

Pauling's 1,220 career snaps makes him one of the most experienced receivers in the room behind Virginia transfer Malachi Fields (1,718). He's already being projected as one of the four solidified players in Brown's receiver rotation. The question with Pauling is where he will play not if he will play. He spent the majority of his career taking snaps at the slot position which is currently being held down by junior Jaden Greathouse.

He'll have his opportunity to rotate in at the slot receiver position, but he might end up splitting snaps with junior Jordan Faison at the field receiver position. Between Greathouse, Faison and Pauling, there's a solid three-man rotation between the field and slot receiver spots, and Pauling has the best top-end speed of the trio. His ability after the catch makes him a lethal weapon in Mike Denbrock's offense and his skillset differs from Greathouse's and Faison's.

Pauling also adds and experience element to the room. Notre Dame's receiving corps is still relatively young, and every player in the room has the opportunity to return for the 2026 season except the two transfers. Pauling's impact will also be felt off the field as he helps groom the next wave of receivers stepping up into the rotation when he and Fields depart. His playmaking ability, experience and athleticism made him a no brainer on this list and my No. 30 impact player overall for Notre Dame's 2025 season.

PAST TOP 50 BREAKDOWNS

No. 31 - Jaylen Sneed
No. 32 - Luke Talich
No. 33 - Jalen Stroman
No. 34 - Micah Gilbert
No. 35 - Loghan Thomas
No. 36 - Cam Williams
No. 37 - Tae Johnson
No. 38 - JaDon Blair
No. 39 - Karson Hobbs
No. 40 - Kevin Bauman
No. 41 - Ty Washington
No. 42 - Jack Larsen
No. 43 - Cole Mullins
No. 44 - Preston Zinter
No. 45 - James Flanigan
No. 46 - Noah Burnette
No. 47 - Guerby Lambert
No. 48 - Sullivan Absher
No. 49 - Jordan Botelho
No. 50 - Charles Jagusah

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