Notre Dame head coach already impressed by a former Wisconsin wide receiver
- Former Wisconsin wide receiver Will Pauling has transferred to Notre Dame and is already making a strong impression.
- Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman praised Pauling’s intensity and intentionality in practice.
- Pauling had a productive two seasons at Wisconsin, totaling 1,244 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.
Former Wisconsin wide receiver Will Pauling appears to be making a significant impact at Notre Dame, just months after joining the program.
When meeting with the local media last week, Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman highlighted Pauling’s first impression on the practice field. On3’s Tyler Horka shared the coach’s comments on a recent podcast episode.
“[Freeman said] he’s never seen a wide receiver practice with the intensity and the purpose and the intentionality that Will Pauling does,” Horka said
The Notre Dame beat writer then added his own sentiment, saying, “I’d be looking out for Will Pauling. Because we didn’t get to see him much during the spring, he was coming back from the injury he sustained at Wisconsin. So you haven’t seen the best of Will Pauling in a Notre Dame uniform, and you might really see it when it matters the most.”
Pauling transferred to Notre Dame during the winter transfer window. He spent two seasons at Wisconsin (2023-24), during which he appeared in 23 total games and caught 116 passes for 1,244 yards and nine touchdowns. His best season with the program came in 2023, during which he led the team with 74 catches, 837 yards and six scores. The rising senior wideout originally joined the Badgersas a transfer in 2023, following head coach Luke Fickell and wide receivers coach Mike Brown from Cincinnati.