After a breakout season for the Wisconsin football team a year ago, wide receiver Will Pauling is looking to truly prove himself this season.
Pauling, a former Cincinnati Bearcats reserve wide receiver, blossomed in his first year of play after transferring to Wisconsin. Pauling followed his former Head Coach Luke Fickell and fellow position coaches to Wisconsin in search of playing time, and found just that last season. Despite his success last season, Pauling has still not received the praise from major media outlets he deserves, which could certainly change this upcoming season.
Wisconsin Football Wide Receiver Will Pauling Prepared to Silence Critics 
Nov 25, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell reacts during the second quarter against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel via USA TODAY NETWORK
After dazzling early on in the season, wide receiver Will Pauling ended the year as one of the top receiver in the Big Ten Conference. However, despite bringing down six touchdowns along with an average of 11.3 yards per reception, Pauling was named the fifth-best wide receiver in the conference ahead of the upcoming season.
Pauling is not only one of the best receivers in the conference from a year ago, but between transfers and graduates he is also the leading returning receiver with 837 yards. Despite his accomplishments, the receiver has still not received the praise he truly deserves for his on-field efforts with the Wisconsin football team. This upcoming season could pose a much different situation, as Pauling could finally prove he is the top receiver in the Big Ten Conference.
Pauling Could Become Biggest Beneficiary of New Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke 
Nov 24, 2023; Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA; Miami Hurricanes quarterback Tyler Van Dyke (9) looks to pass against the Boston College Eagles during the first half at Alumni Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
One of the biggest catalysts for the propulsion of Pauling this season is the new quarterback addition of Tyler Van Dyke. While Pauling has also improved his game significantly on his own, there is no denying that a good quarterback remains key to the success of a receiver. Pauling had no issue getting open last season, with an average of 11.3 yards per reception and a long of 53-yards.
With a new face and presumed starting quarterback in Van Dyke, there is plenty of hope for Pauling to truly breakout. During his three seasons of play in Miami, Van Dyke recorded an adjusted completion percentage of 73.8%. Essentially, this statistics takes into account on-target drops as well and provides a completion percentage that represents the aim of the quarterback and not the hands of the receivers.
For example, Braedyn Locke, the returning quarterback for Wisconsin football competing against Van Dyke, recorded an adjusted completion percentage of 65.7% last season. Van Dyke is the more accurate quarterback which could result in better looks and more accurate throws for Pauling, thus making his job as a receiver easier.
A season ago, Van Dyke loved to throw to his wide receivers as the starting trio averaged 12.4 yards per reception. This included the success of receiver Xavier Restrepo, who is largely considered one of the best returning receivers in the collegiate landscape. An important note is that Restrepo plays very similar football to that of Pauling, which bodes well for his future success.
Wisconsin Badgers Football Staff Key to Future Success of Dynamic Wide Receiver 
Wisconsin running back Chez Mellusi (1) is shown with his unit during spring football practice Thursday, April 25, 2024 in Madison, Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Badgers football team plays their season opener against Western Michigan on August 31.
Perhaps the biggest key behind the potential breakout success of Will Pauling this upcoming season is the Wisconsin football staff, in particular Offensive Coordinator Phil Longo. While last season threw plenty of curveballs towards the team and staff between injuries and players forced into starting roles, there had also been major technique issues.
As previously stated, Braedyn Locke recorded an adjusted completion percentage of 65.7% last season and a normal completion percentage of 49.7%. One issues that led to his difficult completion percentage a season ago was drops, which accounted for 14.4% of his on-target attempts. Fellow starting quarterback Tanner Mordecai also struggled with drops last season, recording an 8.8% drop rate bringing the total number of drops to 30.
For the Wisconsin receivers to have 30 drops is inexcusable, and while Pauling is partially to blame, the drops from his fellow teammates also affect him. The Wisconsin football staff needs to fix their drop issue coming into this season whether that involves different routes being run to avoid major hits, or just more work for the receiver this off-season.
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Publish date : 2024-07-29 11:10:38
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