Will Fuller
Fuller in the 2016 NFL season. | |||||||||||||
No. 15 Houston Texans | |||||||||||||
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Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||
Date of birth: | April 16, 1994 | ||||||||||||
Place of birth: | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | ||||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||
Weight: | 180 lb (82 kg) | ||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||
High school: | Philadelphia (PA) Roman Catholic | ||||||||||||
College: | Notre Dame | ||||||||||||
NFL Draft: | 2016 / Round: 1 / Pick: 21 | ||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||
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Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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Career NFL statistics as of Week 12, 2016 | |||||||||||||
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William Vincent Fuller V (born April 16, 1994) is an American football wide receiver for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Texans in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame.
High School
Fuller attended Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As a senior, he was named the MVP of the Philadelphia Catholic League 4A, recording 57 receptions in 2012 for 932 yards and eight touchdowns.
Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, he was rated as the 19th best wide receiver prospect of his class.[1] He originally committed to play college football at Penn State on June 3, 2012 after receiving a scholarship offer while on a visit at the school.[2] However, Fuller would go on to switch his commitment to Notre Dame on August 5, 2012.[3]
Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
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Will Fuller WR |
Philadelphia, PA | Roman Catholic HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 168 lb (76 kg) | Aug 5, 2012 | |
Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 73 | ||||||
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 22 (WR), 3 (PA), 3 (regional), 179 (national) Rivals: 19 (WR), 7 (PA), 176 (national) ESPN: 31 (PA) | ||||||
Sources:
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College career
Fuller played sparingly as a freshman, catching only six passes. He scored his first touchdown on a 47-yard pass from Tommy Rees against Air Force. He recorded 160 receiving yards, averaging 26.6 yards per catch, which led the team.
Fuller emerged as a starter his sophomore year following an impressive off-season, following that up by having a breakout season for the Irish.[4] He recorded 76 receptions for 1,094 yards with 15 touchdowns, tying Golden Tate for the school single season record. His 15 touchdowns were tied for 3rd in FBS, behind Colorado State's Rashard Higgins and Alabama's Amari Cooper.[5] In a game versus Northwestern, he caught nine passes for 159 yards and 3 touchdowns; all career highs. He was recognized as an honorable mention All-American by Sports Illustrated following the season.[6]
Fuller started off his junior season with a two touchdowns on 7 receptions for 142 yards versus Texas. The following week, against the Virginia Cavaliers, Fuller caught 5 passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns, including the game winning touchdown pass with 12 seconds left from DeShone Kizer.[7] He had 6 receptions for 131 yards and a touchdown against Georgia Tech in Notre Dame's third game of the season, a 30–22 victory.[8] Against USC, he recorded 3 receptions for 131 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown to beat USC, 41–31. At Pitt, Fuller caught 7 passes for 152 yards and three touchdowns leading to 42–30 victory.[9] His three touchdowns allowed him to surpass both Golden Tate and Jeff Samardzija on the career touchdown list with 28, leaving him only second behind Michael Floyd's 37. Fuller caught 6 passes for 113 yards, including a 81 yard touchdown, in a losing effort against Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. Fuller finished the season with 62 catches, career high 1,258 yards with 14 touchdowns. He was named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press.[10]
On December 11, 2015, Fuller announced he would forego his remaining eligibility and enter the 2016 NFL Draft.[11] He finished his career with 144 receptions for 2,512 yards (17.4 avg) and 30 touchdowns.
Career statistics
Year | Team | Receiving | |||||
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Rec | Yards | Avg | TD | Long | Avg/G | ||
2013 | Notre Dame | 6 | 160 | 26.1 | 1 | 47 | 12.3 |
2014 | Notre Dame | 76 | 1,094 | 14.4 | 15 | 75 | 84.2 |
2015 | Notre Dame | 62 | 1,258 | 20.3 | 14 | 81 | 96.8 |
Total | 144 | 2,512 | 17.4 | 30 | 81 | 64.4 |
Professional career
At the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine, Fuller ran a 4.32 official forty yard dash, the best time among wide receivers.
Ht | Wt | 40-yd dash | 10-yd split | 20-yd split | 20-ss | 3-cone | Vert | Broad | BP | ||||||||||
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6 ft 0 in | 186 lb | 4.32 s | 1.51 s | 2.51 s | 33.5 in | 10 ft 6 in | |||||||||||||
All values from NFL combine.[12] |
On April 28, 2016, Fuller was selected in the first round (21st overall) by the Houston Texans in the 2016 NFL Draft.[13]
In his first regular season game against the Chicago Bears on September 11, 2016, Fuller had 5 receptions (on 11 targets) for 107 yards and a touchdown as the Texans won 23-14.[14] During Week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Fuller had 104 receiving yards on 4 receptions, including a juggled catch for 53 yards. The Texans won 19-12.[15]
References
- ↑ "William Fuller profile". Sports.yahoo.com. 2011-04-20. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
- ↑ "Philly Receiver Will Fuller Commits to Nittany Lions". Statecollege.com. 2012-06-03. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
- ↑ "Will Fuller decommits from Penn State Nittany Lions, picks Notre Dame Fighting Irish". Espn.go.com. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
- ↑ "Notre Dame wide receiver Will Fuller's star is on a lightning-fast rise". Elkhart Truth. 2014-09-10. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
- ↑ "2015 FBS (I-A) College Football Individual Statistics Leaders for Receiving – ESPN". Espn.go.com. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
- ↑ Blazek, Nicholas D. (2014-12-19). "Notre Dame's Will Fuller All-American Honorable Mention". Slapthesign.com. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
- ↑ "No. 9 Notre Dame beats Virginia 34–27 on last-second TD pass". HeraldNet.com. 2015-09-12. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
- ↑ "Prosise scores 3 TDs as Irish shut down Ga. Tech". espn.com. 2015-09-19. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
- ↑ "Will Fuller scores thrice in Notre Dame victory over Pitt". Notre Dame Insider.
- ↑ AP All-America Team, List, collegefootball.ap.org; accessed April 28, 2016.
- ↑ "Notre Dame's Will Fuller will enter 2016 NFL Draft". NFL.com.
- ↑ http://www.nfl.com/draft/2016/profiles/will-fuller?id=2555346
- ↑ Ganguli, Tania. "Texans select Will Fuller in first round of 2016 NFL Draft.". ESPN.go.com. ESPN. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
- ↑ Patra, Kevin. "Texans' revamped offense flashes in win over Bears". NFL. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
- ↑ "Fuller makes juggling catch for 53-yard reception". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 18, 2016.