Two Transfers Could Transform Notre Dame’s Passing Attack

Notre Dame had a fantastic 2024 season. The Irish played strong defense, a banged-up offensive line held its own all season, supporting the run game, and the Irish had a tough run-first QB as their leader. This formula was strong enough to take Notre Dame to the brink of winning a title.

Notre Dame is looking to add the final piece of championship-level puzzle

Looking back at 2024, I think it's fair to say that the one area where the Irish seemed not to be at a "title-winning" level was in the passing game. The recruiting and development of elite receivers have been issues for many years now, and the QB leading the offense was a run-first player for whom the downfield passing game wasn't a strength.

Notre Dame knows that to finish first and not second moving forward, it must bring to the table a full team with no obvious weaknesses. With this in mind, in 25' the Irish are going with a QB in CJ Carr that is more than comfortable throwing the ball and has added two transfer receivers that can transform the way teams must defend the Irish.

Malachi Fields Is Built Different

Malachi Fields comes to South Bend via Virginia, where he accounted for 55-plus catches and over 800 yards the last two seasons, and leaves the Cavaliers a top 10 all-time receiver based on yardage. At 6'4 and nearly 225 lbs, Fields gives Notre Dame an athletic, experienced big body target for CJ Carr to connect with in 2025.

The upside with Fields isn't just because of his measurements; it's how he moves. Reports from fall camp and the commensurate video footage show Fields moving "like a gazelle", smoothly and seemingly with little effort, gliding down the field and leaping with ease in his big frame.

Fields is the type of target that can really help a new QB gain confidence down the field, exactly what CJ Carr needs to ease into the starting QB role.

Malachi. FIELDS. Leading the conference🗣️🗣️
Had a career-high in receptions and receiving yards yesterday💪#UVAStrong | #GoHoos⚔️ pic.twitter.com/ENv49dcLh7
— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) September 8, 2024

Will Pauling has earned respect at Notre Dame already

When Notre Dame named its captains for 2025, I was a bit surprised to see Wisconsin transfer Will Pauling named to the list. It's nothing against Pauling, I just wasn't expecting a non-QB transfer who just got to South Bend to be named a captain. This information is very informative. It tells me that Pauling has commanded respect from his Irish teammates quickly.

After collecting 116 catches for 1,244 yards and 9 TDs with the Badgers, Pauling brings stable leadership to the Irish receiving corps and will be another reliable target for CJ Carr as he begins his career.

Nobody is forgetting about homegrown talents like Jordan Faison, Jaden Greathouse, or Micah Gilbert, but the additions of Fields and Pauling really do provide this group some depth and potential difference makers that Notre Dame has been lacking in recent years.

Credit is due to the Notre Dame staff for acquiring these players in a year where the Irish will throw the ball more and must succeed at it for Carr's first year to be a successful one. There's reason to think that this year, the Irish passing operation will take a major step forward.

Reminder that Will Pauling was the Big Ten’s leading returning WR heading into last season in terms of yards.

Wisconsin’s QB issues destroyed Pauling’s 2024 season.

And now he’s arguably the most underrated player on Notre Dame’s roster.

pic.twitter.com/nt8hclttXF
— Notre Dame Recruiting (@NDrecruiting01) August 11, 2025