Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/616353
BY ANDREW OWENS J unior wide receiver Will Fuller re- ceived Most Valuable Player hon- ors at Notre Dame's end-of-season awards banquet Dec. 11. Fuller caught 56 passes for 1,145 yards and 13 touchdowns in 12 regu- lar-season games. He has also earned second-team All-America accolades from Sports Illustrated, CBS Sports, the Associated Press and USA Today. The team voted on the MVP award. "What changed for us as we look at great players through the years is when the moment was great, he stepped up," head coach Brian Kelly said of Fuller. "When we needed that big play … he steps up and makes those huge plays." Senior offensive tackle Ronnie Stan- ley and junior linebacker Jaylon Smith earned Offensive and Defensive Play- ers of the Year accolades, respectively. Stanley returned to South Bend for his senior season, but he is likely to officially declare for the NFL Draft following Notre Dame's Fiesta Bowl matchup versus Ohio State Jan. 1. Smith was named the Butkus Award winner as the nation's top linebacker, becoming the second Irish player (Manti Te'o, 2012) to win the award in the last four seasons. Smith registered 113 tackles (nine for loss), five passes defended and two fumble recoveries in 2015. He too is likely to opt for this spring's NFL Draft. Like Stanley, senior defensive tackle Sheldon Day passed up the NFL Draft last offseason to return for one final season at Notre Dame. He was praised by Kelly throughout the season for his leadership and on-field performance, and took home Moose Krause Line- man of the Year honors for the second straight campaign. Day recorded 41 tackles (14.5 for loss), four sacks, 13 quarterback hur- ries, two passes broken up and one forced fumble. The 14.5 tackles for loss are the most for an Irish player since 2006. Sophomore quarterback DeShone HARDWARE HANDED OUT Will Fuller's MVP honor highlights Notre Dame's 15 end-of-season awards