Will Pauling has only been at Notre Dame since January, but it didn’t take long for the graduate transfer wide receiver to make an impression.
It wasn’t exactly a shock. Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock and receivers coach Mike Brown recruited and coached Pauling at Cincinnati, and Brown later spent a year with him at Wisconsin. Still, Marcus Freeman didn’t hide his admiration after eight months of watching Pauling work.
"Will's a dog,” stated Freeman. “He is. I love the way he practiced. I love the way he approaches the game of football. He is a yes sir, no sir, great kid off the field, but he is a dog. I watched him in the spring, he practices at a level that I'm like, OK, some people need to see the way Will Pauling practices. I am excited to see what he does this season. He's gonna help us in the wideout room, but also on special teams.”
Pauling heard the comments, but they didn’t change his outlook or routine.
“Hearing a head coach say something like that is definitely pretty awesome,” Paul said. “I just come in every day, I give it my all. Whether it's in the weight room, in the meeting rooms, I'm trying to be the best at whatever it is. Whether I'm out there catching eight balls in practice or I'm out there catching zero balls, the way that I practice, I'm going to give my all every single play until my last. That kind of goes into that dog mentality.”
Players going the extra mile is typical in college football. Sleeping in the football facility is different and it’s led to a new nickname.
“I think the earliest I've probably gotten in is like 5:30am, 5.45am,” explained Pauling. “There might have been a night or two where I slept over. I'm always in The Gug. Going through college and realizing this is my last year at it, I'm putting my all into this thing more than ever. I'm in that film room, 10:00pm. I'm in that weight room doing recovery stuff, working on my mobility, whatever it is.
“I do live here. Guys tell me I need to leave. I'm like, I can't. I live for it. They call me a Gug rat. That’s the term. If you’re always in The Gug, a Gug rat. I appreciate the title.”
Pauling’s production shows that the work and long hours pay off. In 2023, the Chicago native recorded 74 catches for 837 yards and six touchdowns at Wisconsin. A year ago, Pauling managed to reel in 42 catches for 407 yards and three scores despite having his season cut short with an injury.
He hopes his final year in college football resembles that 2023 season as his confidence is at an all-time high.
“When you're playing that well, obviously your confidence is at a very high level,” Pauling stated. “The more you're out there, the more you're making plays, the confidence keeps on rising. It's hard to say what exactly it was that made that season so productive for me, but I think the way I came in every day, whether it's in the season, the offseason, just going about my business, handling my business the right way. When the time comes for you to make those plays, the plays are going to come your way, and you're going to make those plays.”
Notre Dame’s receiver room desperately needed a playmaker and Pauling can be just that. What position Pauling makes those plays from is to be determined as he’ll play in the slot, but also on the outside at field receiver.
“I don't favor one or the other,” explained Pauling. “I've obviously played a little bit more slot than outside. I'm in my fifth year of playing college football — my last year playing college football — I want to win ball games. I want to help this team win. So, whatever it is, whether that's playing on the outside, whether it's playing in the slot, running out routes, running go balls, making plays on special teams, whatever this team needs me to do, I'm going to go out there and give it my all.”
Learning both positions is a challenge, but it’s also something Pauling has done before and he sees the benefit in mastering multiple spots.
“When you're able to play in the slot, you kind of understand spaces and windows a lot more,” Pauling said. “When you're out there to the field and you have so much space, you get a little bit more excited because you have a little bit more free access, you have a little bit more space to work.
“Honestly, we have guys that play on the outside that could be really good on the inside. We have guys on the inside that could go and play out on the outside. That's what's going to make this room so special. We have so many versatile receivers who have the capability, who really want to go out there and make plays. That's going to be a really strong suit for us this year.”
If Notre Dame can have multiple receivers play different positions, it can stress a defense and that’s the goal of the room.
“You just never know what's coming,” said Pauling. “When you're a receiver who's able to change their pace, change the speed of their routes, but make everything look the same at the same time, that's what makes it hard for defenders. It kind of keeps them guessing, keeps them on their toes a little bit. That's what really helps us get open and helps us create separation.”
Pauling’s experience will also benefit the Irish this year and beyond. He might be new to the program, but Pauling quickly found his ground in the receiver room as a leader and he’s more than willing to help mentor Notre Dame’s young receivers.
“The young guys in the room have honestly come a really long way,” Pauling stated. “Whether it's Logan Saldate or Jerome Bettis and Elijah Burress. Elijah, Jerome and I, got pretty close this offseason. Not even just football stuff. We kind of got together and just talked about life, talked about our faith, talked about things that helped shape who we are. Being able to do that in the spring has kind of made us close-knit, and that relationship's only grown since then.”
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