Will Pauling
Buzz vs Tape
There's real chatter about him this season — just not enough of his own fan discourse yet to measure it against anything.
Will Pauling
Beats you over the top. Will Pauling has played for two head coaches across five seasons and three programs. 2023 brought the first one: All-Big Ten. The receipt: 105 rec yds, 4 receptions against NC State — Week 7, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- recognition record
- game log
Career Arc
Trophy Case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-CONFERENCE
All-Conf mention (2023)
All-Big Ten
Coaching Lineage · 2021–2025
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Brian Kelly → Marcus Freeman. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2025 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
Splits & context
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Marcus Freeman
Awards
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 3 · RecognizedR09 · All-Conference HM / 2nd team
All-Conference HM / 2nd team. Conference recognition has started.
Trophy Case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-CONFERENCE
All-Conf mention (2023)
All-Big Ten
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Notre Dame | 26 | 381 | 14.7 | 6 | -- |
| 2024 | Wisconsin | 42 | 407 | 9.7 | 3 | -- |
| 2023 | Wisconsin | 74 | 837 | 11.3 | 6 | -- |
| 2022 | Cincinnati | 12 | 122 | 10.2 | 0 | -- |
| 2021 | Cincinnati | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 155 | 1,753 | 11.3 | 15 | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Notre Dame | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Wisconsin | 1 | 4 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Wisconsin | 1 | 11 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2022 | Cincinnati | 1 | -8 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2021 | Cincinnati | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 3 | 7 | -- | -- | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 8 · 2025
W 34–24
vs USC
2 rec · 16 yds · 1 TD
How he plays
Play style
Stretches the field vertically. Every snap is a potential big play.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Notre Dame
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Wide receiver · Notre Dame
Returning around him
- 37% of 2024 offensive production back (Moderate turnover)
- 6 Notre Dame players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -8 net (7 in / 15 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Notre Dame · Last season: 10-2 (AP #9) · Talent rank #9 · 2026 recruiting class #5
DNA match
Player DNA
Deep Threat
Stretches the field vertically. Every snap is a potential big play.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Ahmari Huggins-Bruce’s 2023 season.
Matches Ahmari on
Differs from Ahmari on
Through 4 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Taylor Grimes’s path through Incarnate Word.
Taylor Grimes
Anthony Lowe
Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman
Matches Taylor on
As a graduate, his production profile tracks closest to Micah Davis's graduate season at Southern Miss (2025).
Matches Micah on
Differs from Micah on
Heisman trajectory
Heisman Trajectory · 2025
Peak #177
Peaked at #177 this season.
Development
Development Trajectory · receiving yards
2021–2025+6250%
Up 6250% from first season to most-recent.