Will Fuller's Rapid Progression Leads To Becoming Go-To Receiver

When the Notre Dame Fighting Irish lost T.J. Jones to the NFL, they lost one of the most reliable receivers to come across South Bend they were going to have a tall task in replacing him.

DaVaris Daniels was supposed to be that guy, but due to the school’s internal investigation he has yet to see the field this season and his long term future is in doubt.

So in order for the Irish to have a successful season, they were going to need a player to exceed their original 2014-expectations and do so fast.

If there was any player to do something that fast, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Will Fuller has quickly emerged as Everett Golson’s primary target. Fuller made a name for himself as a true freshman with his speed, catching a 37-yards pass against the Michigan State Spartans for his first career reception.

Fuller averaged 26.7-yards per catch his freshman year, catching 6-passes for 160-yards and now in two games he has already surpassed both marks.

Catching a 75-yard bomb in the season opener showed his speed, an asset everyone was already aware of but his breakout performance against the Michigan Wolverines cemented his status as the team’s go-to receiver going forward.

After catching 9-passes for 89-yards, Fuller showed he was far more than a vertical threat and his 24-yard touchdown reception at the end of the first half was the nail in the coffin.

Not a highly recruited prospect coming into Notre Dame, head coach Brian Kelly still had plenty of high praise for the young receiver,

“He tracked the ball as well as any guy that we recruited. His ball skills were outstanding. The way he tracked the ball down the field, we didn’t see a kid that — first of all, his top end speed was outstanding. Tracking the ball with that kind of speed is a rare commodity, and those are the two things that stood out.”

Entering the season you can certainly make a case that Fuller wasn’t expected to become this much of the focus through two games, but with his skillset it certainly isn’t coming as a surprise.

As team’s become more aware of Fuller’s quickly expanding skill set they will adjust to his game, even is his combination of speed and tracking ability is one of the toughest combinations of skills to stop. He will have to learn to adjust when those adjustments come.

It’s hard for a team to have two receivers to have signature, breakout games but that is exactly what Notre Dame have happen to them. Not only did Fuller have a breakout game, but slot receiver Amir Carlisle also made a statement in his progression.

With every week being a big game for the Irish, having two game breaking receivers who have shinned on the big stage can only elevate Notre Dame into the upper echelon of college teams.

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