The optimum version of Will Pauling as a college receiver came during his junior year at Wisconsin and was marked by his ability to rise to the occasion. Relentlessly.
Not that there wasn’t statistical volume to go along with it.
But Notre Dame’s third transfer portal pickup of the offseason — and second for the wide receiver group in as many days — accounted for 27 third-down conversion catches in 2023 for the Badgers, the most in the Big Ten and third-most nationally.
The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Chicago product finished that season with 74 catches overall, 837 receiving yards and six TDs. Even as injuries slowed him this past season for a Badger offense that sputtered to a national ranking in total offense of 98th and fired coordinator Paul Longo 10 games into a 5-7 season, Pauling still managed to lead Wisconsin in receptions with 42.
That came over 10 games, as did his 407 receiving yards and three scores. And that’s 26 catches more than junior C.J. Williams had for the Badgers this season.
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Williams, was an 11th-hour decommitment to Notre Dame in the 2022 recruiting cycle after Brian Kelly left the school in late November 2021 to take the LSU job. Williams landed at USC, then transferred to Wisconsin after a year, and has 35 catches for 430 yards and 2 TDs combined in his three-year college career to date, spanning 36 games.
Pauling joins Virginia grad transfer wide receiver Malachi Fields in ND’s wide receiver plans for 2025. The 6-4, 220-pound boundary receiver announced his commitment on Monday.
The Irish lose three receivers to expired eligibility after their College Football Playoff run comes to an end — leading receiver Beaux Collins (36 receptions, 445 yards, 2 TDs) as well as fellow 2024 grad transfers Kris Mitchell (19/201/2) and Jayden Harrison (17/211/1).
And there could be more attrition from that position group as well eventually.
Notre Dame (12-1), seeded seventh in the CFP, takes on 2 seed Georgia (11-2) in a Jan. 1 quarterfinal in New Orleans after beating 10 seed Indiana, 27-17, at home on Friday night.
The Irish also have a transfer commitment from Alabama defensive back Devonta Smith. And Tuesday a piece of their more distant future fell into place when four-star offensive lineman Ben Nichols became the sixth ND commitment in the 2026 class.
Notre Dame will be the third college stop for Pauling, who signed with Cincinnati out of Homewood-Flossmoor High in the 2021 class. He was recruited by current Irish wide receivers coach Mike Brown and played two seasons at UC with Brown, current ND QBs coach Gino Guidulgli and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock — all on the Bearcats' staff at the time.
He then followed Brown to Wisconsin after the 2022 season.
Pauling’s two most productive games this season came against two strong defenses — a nine-catch, 83-yard performance with a TD on Sept. 14 against Alabama, and eight catches for 79 yards on Oct. 26 against CFP quarterfinalist Penn State.
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