Ohio State cut Notre Dame's lead to 7-6 in a tight men's lacrosse matchup on March 2. The Buckeyes seized the momentum late in the third quarter in front of a record-setting home crowd and were frothing at the chance to upset the defending national champions on a windy afternoon in Columbus, Ohio.
Instead of blocking that out, Notre Dame freshman Jordan Faison let it in.
"Their guys were chirping," Faison said. "That's part of the game. The lacrosse environment is always fun. These games are great."
On his next catch, Faison faked inside, spun to the outside and shook loose from Ohio State defender Johnny Cool. Faison ripped a shot into the top right corner of the net that gave Notre Dame a two-goal lead with 3:42 left in the third quarter. The Irish would pull away for a 13-9 victory, and Faison's right-time goal was a difference-maker.
"The moment is never too big for him," Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman told Sporting News. "He's a very confident kid. You're not going to know that just from talking to him, because he's a quiet individual. He is confident in his abilities. … That's what you're seeing in lacrosse. The stick-work and handling the ball are now catching up with his athleticism."
Hold up. Why is the Irish's football coach talking about lacrosse? Pop in the football film from the Sun Bowl on Dec. 29, 2023. There is Faison in the slot receiver spot – with the same Under Armour Irish green cleats shimmering in the El Paso sun. He cut inside and bounced outside on a smash route past Oregon State defensive back Noble Thomas Jr. Faison hauled in the pass for a touchdown that broke open a 40-8 blowout.
Route-running. Alley dodging. It is all the same for Notre Dame's 5-foot-10, 179-pound two-sport star. The footwork stands out in both sports.
GOAL IRISH!
— Notre Dame Lacrosse (@NDlacrosse) March 9, 2024
Faison with a little shake to get free and then uses a lefty rip to beat the goalie. 8-6 with under 4 minutes left in the 3Q.#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/FHZL3sJe5i
Angeli finds Faison
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) December 29, 2023
Another Irish touchdown ☘️#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/etsKpMG5IZ
"The athletic piece comes into play," Faison told SN. "Almost every time I play, it's kind of my go-to with my use in this sport. Most sports translate directly to each other. I was able to help get downhill like you're running a route, then crank one in."
Faison arrived at Notre Dame for his freshman season as a partial-scholarship lacrosse player and a walk-on with the football team.
He had 19 catches for 322 yards and four TDs after making his debut against Louisville on Oct. 7 – and he capped that with a five-catch, 115-yard performance that earned Most Outstanding Player honors in the Sun Bowl.
Faison then emerged as a starting midfielder for Notre Dame’s top-ranked lacrosse team. He has 14 goals and three assists heading into Sunday's matchup at Cornell.
"He's still learning, and it's amazing," Notre Dame men's lacrosse coach Kevin Corrigan told SN. "It's a tribute not just to his athleticism – which you want to attribute everything to – but in my mind it's the mentality and his poise just as an athlete. He recognizes when he can make a play."
This two-sport combination isn't unprecedented. Pro Football Hall of Famers Jim Brown and John Mackey played lacrosse at Syracuse. Patrick Kerney and Chris Hogan are more modern examples of NFL players who played Division I lacrosse.
Faison isn't the only Notre Dame player with a football background. Former quarterback Tyler Buchner transferred back to Notre Dame from Alabama to play lacrosse this season. Faison, however, is in a starting role.
"It's unique," Freeman said. "A lot of athletes have the ability to be successful at multiple sports, they just end up specializing. With Jordan, he's never specialized. He's always been a multiple-sport kid. I think him being committed to being a multi-sport athlete and staying committed to it has given him the ability to flourish at this level."
Notre Dame WR Jordan Faison also a lacrosse star
Corrigan has coached the Irish for 36 seasons – and the program broke through for its first national championship in 2023. Standout brothers Pat and Chris Kavanagh, leading scorer Jake Taylor and goalie Liam Entenmann were among the players who signed autographs for at least a half-hour after the Ohio State victory.
Corrigan recognizes that star power and what Faison's emergence has meant for Notre Dame this season, but it is more than that.
"We have a great locker room, and it's not just about the Kavanagh brothers," Corrigan said. "It's about guys that you've never heard of who are great teammates and are helping him every day – guys he's competing with who are around him every day. That's the strongest part of our team. The culture of our guys who are rooting for each other and rooting for our team and the roles that they have."
Faison did not play lacrosse in the summer or fall because of football, and he started lacrosse training the week after the Sun Bowl. Faison had a hat trick with three goals in his debut against Cleveland State on Feb. 14 – and he had three-goal games against Maryland on March 3 and Michigan on March 16.
"The guys were very helpful," Faison said. "They took me in like a brother on the first day. That kind of helped with them teaching me and learning the offense and stuff. Without them, I really wouldn't be where I am at right now."
There have been teaching moments on the defensive end. After allowing a goal on a dodge near the crease earlier in the game, Faison put those lessons to work against the Buckeyes. He was isolated against Ohio State's Jack McKenna – a 6-foot-6, 241-pound attackman who was trying to work his way from behind the goal to the crease. Faison used his feet to push McKenna out just enough to prevent the shot. In football terms, Faison was the defensive back trying to blanket a receiver in the red zone.
"He's got great confidence – not arrogance, though," Corrigan said. "A great confidence in himself and his ability and more than that he's just got a mindset of if I see the opportunity I'm going to go make the play. He's not worried about it. He's not deferring to anybody. He just goes out there and does his job, and he's going to keep getting better."
*****
Freeman watched Faison's high-school film at Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where he played quarterback and defensive back.
"A lot of times in football, schools put the best athlete at quarterback just to get the ball in his hands," Freeman said. "What you can do is look at the film and say, 'OK, this person's skill-set will turn into a good wide receiver.' That's how we really got to look at him. When he got here, he quickly showed us that he could help this team."
On Oct. 7, Freeman had a decision to make. If Faison played in a game, then he would have to be put on full scholarship for football since he was already a partial-scholarship player on the lacrosse team. NCAA rules prohibit a two-sport scholarship athlete being a walk-on for football, essentially to prohibit football teams from ‘hiding’ scholarship players in other sports. Freeman had saved a scholarship for this scenario.
"I knew once the decision we made to play him – or really what led up to that week – if he got the opportunities he was going to make some big things happen," Freeman said. "We started to utilize him more and more."
It didn't take long. Faison caught his first pass with eight minutes left in the first half against Louisville. Two plays later, Faison slipped behind the coverage on a corner route and caught a 36-yard touchdown from quarterback Sam Hartman. Whether it's the crease on the lacrosse field or the hole in the zone coverage, Faison keeps finding ways to score.
| Football | Lacrosse | |
| Games | 7 | 7 |
| Stats | 19 rec, 322 yds, 4 TDs | 14 goals, 3 assists |
"You're looking for the opening in the defense like you would if you were running a slant between two defenders in the football defense," Faison said. "The quick movement off the bat. Having your eyes on and being able to read the dodge is the same as football when you're running a route, you have a guy in front of you – you have to be able to make a move."
That late-season breakout continued against Oregon State in the Sun Bowl. Faison set the tone with a 55-yard catch on Notre Dame's fourth play from scrimmage, and that led to a spectacular performance that Freeman said was not unexpected.
"I wish I could say I was surprised he was going to be MVP," Freeman said. "Now, if you would have started the year and said, 'Hey, Jordan Faison is going to be the MVP of the bowl game,' I would have said, 'You're crazy.' Once we started playing him, you knew he had the skill-set to be a really good football player."
Jordan Faison balance football, lacrosse in spring
The conversations between Corrigan and Freeman continued this spring in a cooperative effort to come up with a plan for Faison.
"It started off with a conversation with Jordan and what he wants," Freeman said. "Does he want to be partly lacrosse and partly football? It's about what Jordan wanted. He wants to play lacrosse, then the next step was working with Coach Corrigan and asking, 'How much are you going to need him?'"
Faison is attending spring practices for football, but on full lacrosse days he is limited to individual work and meetings. Even on days where Faison does not have lacrosse practice, Freeman is cautious with that workload. Corrigan has encouraged Faison to be at football as much as possible.
"They have a new offensive coordinator (Mike Denbrock) – and I don't want him not to understand what's going on when he comes back into football in the summer," Corrigan said. "We're just working it out on a week-to-week basis."
Notre Dame's spring game is on April 20 at 1 p.m. ET – after the lacrosse team plays North Carolina at 11 a.m. While it is doubtful Faison will play in both, he might at least make an appearance at the spring game.
"I get some good sleep here and there," Faison jokes. "Coach Corrigan and Coach Freeman – they both have a plan for me. They set me up for success, and they both look out for my health."
*****
Several members of the Notre Dame football team attended the men's lacrosse team's game against Maryland on March 3.
Faison provided his highlight-reel goal of the season. Notre Dame midfielder Devon McLane fired a pass from behind the net, which Faison caught before shooting behind his back – a "BTB" in lacrosse lingo – past Maryland goalie Logan McNaney. Faison nodded and pointed to his football teammates on the sideline, who almost needed a get-back coach to stay off the field while the "Notre Dame Victory March" blared like it would on any fall Saturday.
"It was awesome," Faison said. "It solidified the brotherhood and family we have on that team. Those guys coming out to support us in a big game just shows how much they care."
JORDAN FAISON GOES BEHIND THE BACK.@NDFootball = FIRED UP FOR THEIR GUY.#GoIrish☘️ | Watch on @ESPNU pic.twitter.com/5Z4PTbwWoI
— Notre Dame Lacrosse (@NDlacrosse) March 3, 2024
How long will Faison play both? It is fair to anticipate if he keeps this going on both fronts, he might have professional options in both sports.
"Football has been terrific," Corrigan said. "They want the best for Jordan, and they respect that he's a significant piece of our team and they're not going to do anything to disrupt that. I think we can continue to work through it."
Freeman admitted he knew "zero” about lacrosse before taking the job at Notre Dame, so it's been a learning experience. He also has plans for Faison in the Notre Dame offense in 2024.
"How we utilize him is to be determined, but he's a playmaker," Freeman said. "That's our philosophy on offense, Find as many ways possible, get the ball in the hands of our playmakers. Jordan is doing a great job of getting the mental work in. I know he's getting a lot of physical work in lacrosse, but the mental work of learning the new plays, learning the new scheme is something he's getting off the field. I'm excited to see how he fits in this offensive scheme as we move forward."
With that, Faison will continue to have opportunities. The Irish will be among the favorites in the upcoming 2024 NCAA Men's Lacrosse tournament. Notre Dame football will be a popular pick to make the 2024 College Football Playoff, too. Faison could be playing for national titles in multiple sports, and with that realization he smiled.
"It's a high standard," Faison said. "I always want to play to that standard. It can be a little nerve-wracking at times, but the guys you're playing with always have your back. When you have that, it helps you push through."
