Will Fuller

Will Fuller
refer to caption
Fuller with the Houston Texans in 2016
No. 15 – Houston Texans
Position: Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1994-04-16) April 16, 1994
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight: 185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school: Philadelphia (PA) Roman Catholic
College: Notre Dame
NFL Draft: 2016 / Round: 1 / Pick: 21
Career history
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 4, 2018
Receptions: 92
Receiving yards: 1,321
Return yards: 331
Rushing yards: 6
Total touchdowns: 13
Player stats at NFL.com

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 career

One of five siblings (he has 4 sisters), Fuller attended Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he played high school football for the Fighting Cahillites.[1][2] As a senior in 2012, he was named the MVP of the Philadelphia Catholic League 4A, recording 57 receptions 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.[3] 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.[4] However, Fuller would go on to switch his commitment to Notre Dame on August 5, 2012.[5]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Will Fuller
WR		 Philadelphia, PA Roman Catholic HS 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 168 lb (76 kg) Aug 5, 2012 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   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)
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Notre Dame Football Commitment List". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  • "Notre Dame College Football Recruiting Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  • "2013 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 27, 2015.

    College career

    Fuller played sparingly as a freshman at Notre Dame, catching only six passes. He scored his first touchdown on a 47-yard pass from Tommy Rees against Air Force on October 26, 2013. He recorded 160 receiving yards in that game, averaging 26.6 yards per catch, which led the team.[6]

    Fuller emerged as a starter his sophomore year following an impressive off-season, following that up by having a breakout season for the Irish.[7] 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.[8] 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.[9]

    Fuller started off his junior season with 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.[10] 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.[11] 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.[12] 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.[13]

    On January 3, 2016, Fuller announced he would forego his senior year and enter the 2016 NFL Draft.[14] He finished his Notre Dame career with 144 receptions for 2,512 yards (17.4 avg) and 30 touchdowns.

    Career statistics

    YearTeamReceiving
    RecYardsAvgTDLongAvg/G
    2013Notre Dame616026.114712.3
    2014Notre Dame761,09414.4157584.2
    2015Notre Dame621,25820.3148196.8
    Total 1442,51217.4308164.4

    Professional career

    At the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine, Fuller ran a 4.32 official 40-yard dash, which was the best time among wide receivers.

    Pre-draft measurables
    Ht Wt 40-yard dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert jump Broad
    6 ft 0 in
    (1.83 m)    		 186 lb
    (84 kg)    		 4.32 s 1.51 s 2.51 s 33.5 in
    (0.85 m)    		 10 ft 6 in
    (3.20 m)
    All values from NFL combine[15]

    Fuller was drafted by the Houston Texans in the first round with the 21st overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.[16] He was the second wide receiver taken in the 2016 NFL Draft, only behind Baylor's Corey Coleman, who went to the Cleveland Browns with the 15th overall pick.

    2016 season: Rookie year

    In his first career regular season game against the Chicago Bears on September 11, 2016, Fuller had five receptions (on 11 targets from quarterback Brock Osweiler) for 107 yards and a touchdown as the Texans won by a score of 23-14.[17] During Week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Fuller had 104 receiving yards on four receptions, including a juggled catch for 53 yards. The Texans won by a score of 19-12.[18] In Week 4 on October 2, Fuller returned a punt 67 yards for a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans. In doing so, he became the first player in Houston Texans franchise history to record a punt return touchdown and a receiving touchdown in the same game (as he had a touchdown reception earlier in the game).[19]

    On January 7, 2017, Fuller made his postseason debut against the Oakland Raiders in the Wild Card Round. He had four receptions for 37 yards in the 27–14 victory.[20] His postseason would end the following week in the Divisional Round against the eventual Super Bowl LI Champion New England Patriots. In the 34–16 defeat, he had three receptions for 16 yards.[21]

    In his rookie season, Fuller had 47 receptions for 635 yards, 196 return yards, 2 receiving touchdowns, and 1 return touchdown.[22]

    2017 season

    On August 2, 2017, during training camp, Fuller suffered a broken collarbone and was expected to be out 2–3 months.[23]

    On September 27, 2017, Fuller was upgraded to full participation in the Texans' practice.[24] He made his season debut for the Texans on October 1, 2017 in a 57–14 win against the Tennessee Titans. Fuller caught four passes for 35 yards and two touchdowns.[25]

    Fuller finished the 2017 season with 28 receptions for 423 yards, 135 return yards, and 7 receiving touchdowns.[26]

    2018 season

    Fuller missed the 2018 season opener with a hamstring injury.[27] He made his season debut in Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans. He had eight receptions for 113 yards and a touchdown in the 20–17 loss.[28] In the following game, a loss to the New York Giants, he had another solid outing with five receptions for 101 receiving yards and a touchdown.[29] He notched his third consecutive game with a touchdown in the Week 4 overtime victory over the Indianapolis Colts.[30]

    NFL statistics

    Regular season

    Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Returning Fumbles
    GGSRecYdsAvgLngTDAttYdsAvgLngTDRetYdsAvgLngTDFumLost
    2016HOU 14134763513.55321-3-3.0-301319615.167T100
    2017HOU 10102842315.159T7294.550913515.049000
    Career2423881,27214.559T9362.0502233115.067T100

    Postseason

    Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Returning Fumbles
    GGSRecYdsAvgLngTDAttYdsAvgLngTDRetYdsAvgLngTDFumLost
    2016HOU 227537.6190000.00034615.018000
    Career227537.6190000.00034615.018000

    References

    1. ↑ Robertson, Dale. "10 things you need to know about Will Fuller". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
    2. ↑ Vorel, Mike. "Surging WR Will Fuller represents Philadelphia at Notre Dame". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
    3. ↑ "William Fuller profile". Yahoo! Sports. 2011-04-20. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
    4. ↑ Jones, Ben (2012-06-03). "Philly Receiver Will Fuller Commits to Nittany Lions". Statecollege.com. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
    5. ↑ "Will Fuller decommits from Penn State Nittany Lions, picks Notre Dame Fighting Irish". Espn.go.com. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
    6. ↑ "Notre Dame vs. Air Force - Game Summary - October 26, 2013". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2018-10-05.
    7. ↑ "Notre Dame wide receiver Will Fuller's star is on a lightning-fast rise". Elkhart Truth. 2014-09-10. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
    8. ↑ "2015 FBS (I-A) College Football Individual Statistics Leaders for Receiving – ESPN". Espn.go.com. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
    9. ↑ Blazek, Nicholas D. (2014-12-19). "Notre Dame's Will Fuller All-American Honorable Mention". Slapthesign.com. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
    10. ↑ "No. 9 Notre Dame beats Virginia 34–27 on last-second TD pass". HeraldNet.com. 2015-09-12. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
    11. ↑ "Prosise scores 3 TDs as Irish shut down Ga. Tech". espn.com. 2015-09-19. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
    12. ↑ Lesar, Al. "Will Fuller scores thrice in Notre Dame victory over Pitt". Notre Dame Insider.
    13. ↑ AP All-America Team, List, collegefootball.ap.org; accessed April 28, 2016.
    14. ↑ Reineking, Jim. "Notre Dame's Will Fuller will enter 2016 NFL Draft". NFL.com.
    15. ↑ http://www.nfl.com/draft/2016/profiles/will-fuller?id=2555346
    16. ↑ Ganguli, Tania. "Texans select Will Fuller in first round of 2016 NFL Draft". ESPN.go.com. ESPN. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
    17. ↑ Patra, Kevin. "Texans' revamped offense flashes in win over Bears". NFL. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
    18. ↑ "Fuller makes juggling catch for 53-yard reception". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
    19. ↑ "Watch Texans rookie Will Fuller return a punt 67 yards for a TD". Fox Sports. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
    20. ↑ "Wild Card - Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans - January 7th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
    21. ↑ "Divisional Round - Houston Texans at New England Patriots - January 14th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
    22. ↑ "Will Fuller 2016 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
    23. ↑ Orr, Conor (August 2, 2017). "Texans WR Will Fuller breaks his collarbone in practice". NFL.com.
    24. ↑ "Fuller upgraded to full participant in practice". Retrieved 2017-10-02.
    25. ↑ "Will Fuller returns with bang, helps boost offense". Retrieved 2017-10-02.
    26. ↑ "Will Fuller 2017 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-10-05.
    27. ↑ "Texans' Will Fuller: Out Sunday". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2018-10-05.
    28. ↑ "Texans wide receiver Will Fuller excels in loss to Titans". Houston Chronicle. 2018-09-17. Retrieved 2018-10-05.
    29. ↑ "Will Fuller, V notches 100-yd, 1 TD game in loss to Giants". Houston Texans. Retrieved 2018-10-05.
    30. ↑ "Texans end losing streak with 37-34 win over Colts in OT". KRIV. Retrieved 2018-10-05.
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