The Badgers star wideout has a new home for his final season of eligibility.
The Wisconsin Badgers saw their receiver corps take a hit earlier this month when star wide receiver Will Pauling announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal as a graduate transfer.
Pauling, a slot receiver who stands 5’10, 190 pounds, caught 42 passes for 407 yards and three touchdowns in 2024, one season after earning All-Big Ten honors for catching 74 passes for 837 yards and six touchdowns.
Well, the slot wideout has a new home, as Pauling announced his commitment to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Tuesday.
In doing so, the rising senior reunites with wide receivers coach Mike Brown, who held the same role at Wisconsin in 2023 before being hired by Notre Dame this past offseason.
Pauling’s departure made sense for both sides, as the wideout didn’t have the season he expected in 2024 amid inconsistencies, both at the quarterback position and with the receivers.
He’ll now look to boost his draft stock with a better season in 2025 working with a familiar face, although it’s uncertain who his quarterback will be next year.
The Badgers moved quickly to address the holes at wide receiver, landing Idaho transfer Mark Hamper and Ohio State transfer Jayden Ballard in the transfer portal to bolster their outside receiver spot.
With Pauling’s absence, Wisconsin will look to Trech Kekahuna to fill a void in the slot, while freshman Kyan Berry-Johnson is expected to take a bigger role in the offense as well.