Roman Catholic's William Fuller switched gears over the weekend, decommitting from Penn State and choosing instead to play for Notre Dame.
"I loved the environment as soon as I stepped on campus," the senior wide receiver said after his visit to South Bend, Ind.
Fuller had committed to play for Penn State in early June. "A lot of things were going on, with the sanctions and stuff," he said. "But I don't think it had anything to do with Penn State. It had more to do with Notre Dame."
He was joined on the visit by his mother, Margaret. "Before this, she was all about me going to Penn State," the 18-year-old said. "She didn't even want to go to Notre Dame. But once we got there, she fell in love with the place, just like I did."
The 6-foot, 168-pound Fuller said he met on Saturday for about 15 minutes with Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly.
"He was a real cool guy," he said. "I got along well with all the coaches. I had pretty much made up my mind before I left on Sunday. It felt like I was already committed there."
On the drive home, before calling Notre Dame assistant Harry Hiestand, Fuller said he informed Penn State assistant Ron Vanderlinden of his decision.
"It was tough, because I had a good relationship with their coaches," he said. "[Vanderlinden] told me to keep Penn State in the back of my mind, because he thinks that's what's best for me."
Last season, while helping Roman Catholic post an 8-4 record and advance to the Catholic League Class AAAA final, Fuller made 45 catches for 736 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was an Inquirer first-team all-Southeastern Pennsylvania selection.
A three-star recruit according to Rivals.com, Fuller, who has been clocked at 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash, also had scholarship offers from Boston College and Rutgers. Connecticut and Maryland were in the mix as well.
Contact Rick O'Brien at 610-313-8019, robrien@phillynews.com.
