Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Pennsylvania Native Switches Pledge To Notre Dame BY JASON SAPP P programs that piqued his interest, and he decided to pledge to the first one that offered — Penn State. COMMITMENT PROFILE WILL FULLER gram his choice just three days after receiving the offer during his camp performance on June 2, Fuller was given something to consider when Notre Dame made its move three weeks later following the Penn State sanctions. "I was excited about it because be- Despite making the in-state pro- hiladelphia Roman Catholic ath- lete Will Fuller always had two fore I committed to Penn State, it was going to be either Penn State or Notre Dame," the 6-0, 165-pound three-star recruit said after the Irish offer, which was contingent upon a campus visit, his academic standing and the status of his pledge to the Nittany Lions. "I like Notre Dame fans, and we have a lot of them around here. "Coach {and offensive coordinator Chuck] Martin said there's no other college like Notre Dame and that I'll love it. I know it's a prestigious school, and I want to see it all for myself." While Notre Dame's offer shook up Fuller's recruitment a bit, he wanted to get back to Penn State's campus before making any decisions and did so two days after the offer. He was joined by his mother, Megan Fuller. Fuller, who made 46 grabs for 758 Despite being undersized, Fuller has a combination of speed and jumping ability that makes him a deep threat as an outside receiver. either a slot or a wide guy. But with Will, he can line up anywhere," Mc- Court said. "He's got tremendous quickness both out and in. It sepa- rates him from anybody else. You an put him out wide even though he's only 6-foot-1 because he has a great vertical. I never saw a situation where he went up for a fade and he didn't come down with it. He takes pride in his blocking, and we had a 2,000- yard rushing running back last year. … He's a complete wide receiver." With the Irish also having needs in the class at cornerback, the program has pursued Fuller as a athlete. "He likes wide receiver, but he can yards and 10 touchdowns in his ju- nior season, reaffirmed his commit- ment to Penn State following the visit, but still opted to give Notre Dame a visit on Aug. 4. With offensive line coach and play anything," the Roman Catholic head coach continued. "He is just as good at corner. He can match guys that are physical, but he's also quick." Sean Fitz of Lions247, the Penn Pennsylvania recruiter Harry Hies- tand leading the charge with Fuller and his mother on campus, Notre Dame was able to make the neces- sary strides needed to have the coun- try's No. 71 wide receiver and No. 13 prospect in Pennsylvania flip to the Irish after returning home from the trip. Fuller's coach, Joseph McCourt, pointed out the reasons why Notre Dame remained diligent in its pur- suit of Fuller. "Sometimes with receivers they're 82 PRESEASON 2012 State Web site on 247Sports, has seen Fuller live on three occasions this spring and summer, and can see the upside in the underrated recruit. "He improved at each camp," Fitz PHOTO COURTESY 247SPORTS by example. He's not a rah-rah kid," McCourt added. "No matter how much success he has, he'll stay hum- ble. He's very good with his team- mates, and he'll be a great leader for any team." ✦ may have made some noise on the camp circuit ,but his quiet demeanor stands out about him off the gridiron. "He's the type of player that leads Notre Dame's most recent commit FILM ANALYSIS his speed, but by freezing a defender with his footwork off of the line of scrimmage … Makes proper adjustments to get to the foot- ball and is capable of making the difficult, over-the-opposite shoulder catch, displaying good hands and concentration … Is a strong- handed receiver that high points the foot- ball … In addition to speed, he also possesses quickness to make the defender miss in the open field — offering an option as a returner on special teams. Strengths Stretches the field quickly not only due to said. "When you watch events like the ones I've been to, you can usually tell the big-time prospects within a few reps. Will Fuller was one of those guys. He made catch after catch against some quality competition, and topped that with a 4.44-second 40-yard time. "He's a taller version of New Eng- land Patriots wide receiver Deion Branch." program to make his body college-ready, but has the mechanics to still create separation between him and the defender … Not many clips were available to break down his abil- ity as a defensive player, but he is not afraid to come over the top for a big collision … Hits a bit high at times, and improvement in technique will increase chances of being a secure tackler. Areas To Improve Need time in the strength and conditioning — Jason Sapp BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED