Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2015 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 55 same feeling when he challenged Fuller to take his game to that next level. "He's not a guy that can carry it by him- self," Kelly explained last November. "He's not physically able to just go out and knock off double coverage. He can beat any man coverage around with his speed. He's not some of the Megatron [Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson] and those beasts [where] if you try to double him up, he's just going to knock you around and physically use his body to brace himself against any coverage. "He's not in that position, so he needs those complementary receivers. His next step is to continue to work on his physical development." The best coaches know they need to push their players, but also know that challenging an athlete to do something he is not capable of doing is counterproductive. Kelly and Denbrock both believe Fuller can become the kind of player capable of taking over a game and elevating the entire offense. The Notre Dame coaches also know that Fuller is more than willing and able to put in the work to take his game to that level. "I don't think there's anything that can hold Will Fuller back from being great at what he does," Denbrock said. "The only person that can do that is Will Fuller, and I don't see him standing in his way. I think he's a hard- working kid that wants to be the best at what he does, and I think he's growing as a player. "It's going to be exciting." Encore Performance Most wide receivers make their biggest jumps between their sophomore and junior seasons. Such has been the case at Notre Dame. Just look at some of the great Irish receivers over the last 30 years. Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown hauled in just 53 passes for 737 yards during his first two seasons at Notre Dame. As a junior, Brown broke out, making 45 grabs for 910 yards. Derrick Mayes, who ranks No. 4 all time in receiving yards at Notre Dame, had just 24 receptions for 512 yards as a sophomore, haul- ing in two scores. As a junior, Mayes broke out with a 47-catch, 847-yard, 11-touchdown season. Former Irish standout Jeff Samardzija had 24 receptions for 512 yards and two scores during his first two seasons. As a junior, Sa- mardzija dominated the opposition, teaming up with quarterback Brady Quinn to make 77 receptions for 1,249 yards and 15 touchdowns. Even Fuller's closest competitor in regards to best sophomore season had a breakout ju- nior year. Fuller's career up to this point matches up quite favorably to that of former standout Golden Tate. Both Tate and Fuller made just six receptions as true freshmen but both had meteoric ascents as sophomores, with Tate hauling in 58 passes for 1,080 yards and 10 touchdowns. As a junior, Tate became the most dominant receiver in the nation, winning the Biletnikoff Award after producing 93 receptions for 1,496 yards and 15 touchdowns. If Fuller can follow in the footsteps of his predecessors, Notre Dame faithful can antici- pate an exciting ride in 2015. "Who wouldn't want to be the No. 1 guy?" Fuller said after spring practice. "Re- ceivers catch passes, and I tell people you need to be greedy. You have to want it the most." ✦ SOPHOMORE SUCCESS To appreciate how much football has changed in the last quarter-century, consider Will Fuller as a 2014 sophomore caught the same number of passes (76) that past Notre Dame luminaries Tim Brown (25), Raghib "Rocket" Ismail (27) and Derrick Mayes (24) did combined as sophomores from 1985-93. Fuller's 15 touchdown receptions last year also tripled the output of five by that esteemed trio as sophomores. Future NFL star David Givens caught only 14 passes his sophomore year in 1999 (71 in his career). Before he became a two-time All-American in 2005-06, Jeff Samardzija snared only 17 passes as a sophomore. In 2014, Fuller had one of the more dramatic "where did he come from?" breakthrough seasons by a Notre Dame player, and statistically the best ever performance by an Irish sophomore wideout. Here's our top five in that category: 1. Will Fuller (2014): The numbers Fuller put up as a sophomore — 76 catches for 1,094 yards (14.4 yards per reception) and 15 touchdowns — rivaled what senior and team MVP TJ Jones had the year prior (70 catches for 1,108 yards and nine scores). To amass such numbers after catching only six passes as a freshman was one of the more quantum leaps in Notre Dame history. 2. Jim Seymour (1966): One could argue that Seymour's sophomore year — 48 receptions for 862 yards (18.0 yards per catch) and eight touchdowns — should be ranked ahead of Fuller just because of his impact while help- ing win a national title and making the cover of Time with classmate and quarterback Terry Hanratty. Nobody ever made a more spectacular debut than Seymour with his 13 catches for 276 yards (still a single-game school record) and three touch- downs against Big Ten and Rose Bowl champ Purdue. He then capped the year with 11 catches for 150 yards and two scores in the 51-0 win at Pac-8 champ USC to clinch the national title. More than half of his yards came in those two games. 3. Thom Gatewood (1969): A running back for the Irish freshman team, he succeeded the graduated Seymour at split end and posted similar sophomore numbers. Including the last-minute Cotton Bowl loss to No. 1 Texas, the 2015 College Football Hall of Fame inductee Gate- wood snared 53 passes for 855 yards (16.1 yards per catch) and nine touchdowns on a team that finished No. 5. 4. Golden Tate (2008): Similar to Fuller in that he caught only six passes for 131 yards and a score as a freshman (Fuller had six catches for 160 yards and a TD) before detonating as a sopho- more with 58 catches for 1,080 yards (14 less than Fuller) and 10 touchdowns. In the 49-21 bowl win over Hawaii, his six catches totaled 177 yards and three scores for the 7-6 Irish. 5. Michael Floyd (2009): Although sidelined five games because of an injury, the all-time Irish pass receptions leader (271) still grabbed 44 passes for 795 yards (18.1 yards per catch) and nine touchdowns while Tate went on to win the Biletnikoff Award for the 6-6 Irish. — Lou Somogyi Last year, Fuller set sophomore school records for re- ceptions (76) and receiving yards (1,094). PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA "I don't think there's anything that can hold Will Fuller back from being great at what he does. The only person that can do that is Will Fuller, and I don't see him standing in his way. I think he's a hard-working kid that wants to be the best at what he does, and I think he's growing as a player." ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH AND WIDE RECEIVERS COACH MIKE DENBROCK ON FULLER