Notre Dame’s wide receiver room, featuring Jordan Faison, is building momentum during spring practices. With experienced returners and rising young talent on offense, the outlook for Marcus Freeman’s program in the 2026 season is growing increasingly optimistic.
Jordan Faison Commits Fully to NFL Dreams, Steps Away From Lacrosse
Notre Dame lacrosse will see a change this spring as Jordan Faison will not be on the field. He has chosen to step away from lacrosse to focus entirely on football ahead of his senior season under Marcus Freeman.
Faison spoke about the difficult choice following Notre Dame’s spring practice on Friday.
“It was definitely a hard decision walking away from my brothers in the sport I love,” Faison said. “But one of the main decisions was probably my body. I had to heal my body. The body only lasts so long, and you need to take care of it. I obviously also wanted to go to the next level. I’m an NFL kind of guy, and my focus is just football. Yeah, I felt it off the rip. I mean, I’m training a little more to sleep. It’s for me, my body feels really good.”
Faison’s younger brother, Dylan, committed to both football and lacrosse at Notre Dame. As for Faison, the decision to leave lacrosse is significant given his impact on the program. He helped the team win a national championship as a freshman, followed by 14 points, including 9 goals, in his sophomore season.
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Faison previously reflected on how lacrosse has enhanced his football game.
“Both sports go hand in hand, and I mean the athletic piece obviously, but even deeper into both games,” Faison said in January 2025. “When you’re in football, you’ve got the cornerback lined up in front of you. You’ve got to make moves on him while also seeing the back of the defense, and the safety is rotating and whatnot.
“And then lacrosse is the same thing. Same idea. You got, you know, a defender guarding you and you got defenses rotating behind, and you kind of got to make decisions based on that, and they go hand in hand and pretty much complement each other.”
As for Faison’s football career, he led Notre Dame in receptions (49) and yards (640) in his junior season in 2025. He became a go-to target for quarterback CJ Carr, scoring 4 touchdowns.
A standout moment came against Boise State when Faison caught a pass against safety Ty Benefield in the first quarter. He finished the season with an 80 rating on the PFSN College Football WR Impact Metric, ranking No. 37 nationally.
Faison can be one of Notre Dame’s most productive wide receivers in recent years. He has amassed 98 receptions for 1,318 yards and 9 touchdowns over his first three seasons.
He was initially a walk-on in 2023, and he recorded 30 receptions in 2024. He now returns to rejoin Carr and the team, which finished 10-2 in the 2025 regular season and made the College Football Playoff.
