In 2014 then sophomore Will Fuller took a meteoric leap for Notre Dame and became a dynamic, big play, down-the-field wide receiver for the Irish seemingly overnight between his freshman and sophomore campaigns. Notre Dame got a little of that from Equanimeous St. Brown in 2016 but for the most part the Irish lacked that threat. In 2017, Notre Dame could have that return to the Irish in rising sophomore Kevin Stepherson.
Before scoffing at the notion of a sophomore replacing what a 1st round NFL Draft pick gave to the Irish offense, don’t forget that three years ago at this time, no one really knew what Notre Dame had with Will Fuller.