Will Pauling Adds Depth And Experience To Talented Notre Dame Receiving Core

For the second straight year, Notre Dame's offensive coaching staff looked to the portal to get a handful of wide receivers. Last year, they got Beaux Collins from Clemson, Kris Mitchell from Florida International, and Jayden Harrison from Marshall. This offseason, they snagged Malachi Fields from Virginia, which was one of the more talented wide receivers that hit the portal. Only a day after Field's commitment, the Irish picked up another wide receiver commitment from Wisconsin transfer Will Pauling. 

Pauling At Wisconsin

Pauling's commitment has flown a little under the radar due to the expected hype around landing a player like Fields, and the current quarterback competition going on in South Bend, but this is a solid pickup by the offensive coaching staff in the portal. Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock is looking to expand the passing attack this season and needed to add some more depth and experience to the room while the younger talent continues to develop. Fields played over 1700 snaps while at Virginia while Pauling played 1,220 snaps for the Badgers, making them important pieces to pick up in the portal. 

During his time in Madison, Pauling tallied 129 receptions, 1,372 yards, and nine touchdown grabs. His best season came in 2023 where he finished with 837 yards and six touchdowns. He battled injuries in 2024 but was still able to play in 10 games recording 42 receptions, 407 yards, and three touchdowns. 

The past two seasons, Pauling has made his biggest impact in the biggest moments for Wisconsin. In 2023 against Ohio State he caught four balls for 51 yards and a touchdown. Against LSU in the Reliaquest Bowl, he caught eight passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns. This past season, he caught nine passes for 83 yards and a touchdown against Alabama and was the lone bright spot for the Badgers that day. 

The Notre Dame Need

The Irish receiving core is loaded with young talent, but very little of it is followed by proven production. Jaden Greathouse enters his junior seasons as the most experienced of the bunch. Greathouse played in every game last year for the Irish, was targeted 53 times and only had one drop. He finished the season as the team's leading receiver and had game wrecker performances against Penn State in the Orange Bowl and Ohio State in the National Championship. Outside of Greathouse, Notre Dame loses four of it's top pass catchers from last season with the departure of Collins, Harrison, Mitchell, and tight end Mitchell Evans. 

Jordan Faison returns for his junior season in the fall, but is currently playing lacrosse which will take up the majority of his time in the spring. Wide receiver coach Mike Brown has loads of talent waiting in the wings, but have limited in game experience. Players like KK Smith, Micah Gilbert, Cam Williams, Logan Saldate, have extremely high ceilings but are young and relatively inexperienced. The offensive coaching staff needed to hit the portal for one more cycle to add depth and experience to the rotation which made the pick ups of Fields and Pauling all the more logical. 

Breaking Down Pauling's Game

As stated before, Pauling has his best games in the biggest moments, something that Notre Dame hasn't had a receiver for a while until Greathouse's performance in the semifinals and national title game this past year. Pauling worked a lot out of the slot at Wisconsin but has the ability to play outside at the field spot as well. He is a freaky athlete and made the Feldman's Freaks List of 2024. Pauling has clocked a 4.39 40 yard dash time and can squat 600 pounds and that reflects on the field. He's a strong runner with the ball in his hands and is difficult to bring down. 

Pauling is solid after the catch receiving a lot of now and bubble screens during his time in Madison. He has the ability to stretch the field vertically, something we saw against LSU in the bowl game in 2023, and he's not afraid to make contested catches over the middle of the field. We didn't see a lot of him running routes down field at Wisconsin, but they utilize their wide outs differently than what Coach Denbrock will do this upcoming season in South Bend. His speed will be more on display this season than it was during his time at Wisconsin. 

Pauling's Impact At Notre Dame

With Pauling already on campus, the spring will be a huge opportunity for him to make a name for himself in the rotation and as a leader in the wide receiver room. The 5-10 194 pound senior will be relied on the fill Faison's spot in the spring while he's with the lacrosse team. Pauling will also be able to help coach up the young players and incoming freshman who are all early enrollees as well. He will be in the mix early and has the opportunity to build relationships with all three quarterbacks battling it out for the starting position in the fall. 

Pauling will also have the chance to hone in and improve on his skills as well. He struggled with drops in 2023 and 2024 despite putting up solid numbers in both years. In 2023, he logged 10 drops on the year in 13 games and had seven drops in 2024 playing in 10 games. He will also have the opportunity to enrich himself in the offense and learn the playbook as much as possible. It's a solid bet that he will be used somewhat differently than how he was used with the Badgers. He will be competing for a starting spot this offseason, but provides much needed depth and experience for the wide receiver room in 2025.