Football or lacrosse player? Notre Dame freshman Jordan Faison prefers 'flax' title

SOUTH BEND — Is Jordan Faison a football player that also plays lacrosse, or a lacrosse player that also plays football?

Before last week, he had the latter title.

That might be changing after the Notre Dame freshman’s performance against Louisville.

Making his collegiate football debut Saturday, Faison made the most of his limited reps, catching two passes for 48 yards and a touchdown. It was the lone bright spot in a 33-20 loss for the Fighting Irish against the Cardinals.

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Faison caught a 12-yard pass on a 3rd-and-8. Two plays later, he hauled in a 36-yard touchdown reception, tying the game at seven at the time.

“We worked the whole week working on (the Louisville) safety,” said Faison explaining the touchdown reception. “I’m running my route, it’s one-on-one, I see the safety disappear and I knew I had him. Sam (Hartman) dropped in a nice ball to me.”

It was an emotional moment for everyone, especially Faison’s parents, who were at the game Saturday night.

“My mom was tearing up,” Faison said. “It looked like my dad was going to cry. I kind of saw where they screen recorded something off ESPN where the camera panned to them, and they were hugging each other. It was definitely amazing for me to see how proud they are of me and all the work I’ve put in.”

The sideline erupted when Faison scored. Even the defensive players on the far side of the field were going crazy to see the newcomer score in his debut game.

“I was on the sidelines, and when I looked over at the field, I was like, ‘Oh cool, Jordan’s out there,’” safety Xavier Watts said. “And then when he scored, it was pretty cool to see. It was something really exciting, especially for a guy like that who was technically a walk-on.”

Faison was recruited to Notre Dame as a lacrosse player. He accepted a scholarship offer to play the sport, turning down offers from Duke, Penn State, Ohio State and Ivy League schools, among others.

Now that he’s played snaps of collegiate football, though, the scholarship becomes a football one.

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“The feeling of going to a football scholarship feels better – more so on my parents, money wise,” Faison quipped. “It’s definitely a good feeling.”

Faison went to Pine Crest High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He played quarterback in a run-heavy offense, rushing for 1,661 yards and 23 touchdowns in 11 games as a senior. He only attempted 46 passes for 280 yards and six touchdowns.

Despite essentially being a running back, Faison’s football recruiting was centered around him playing wide receiver. The 5-foot-10, 182-pounder received one football scholarship offer from Iowa, while other schools expressed interest for him as a walk-on.

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Faison wanted to play both football and lacrosse in college, so when the Notre Dame offer came, he talked with lacrosse head coach Kevin Corrigan about the chance to compete in both.

“They were very supportive about (me playing football) when I was going through my recruiting process with lacrosse and telling them I wanted to play two sports,” Faison said. “Even through now, they’re texting me, congratulating me and still making sure I’m ready for lacrosse season.”

Faison showed promise in fall camp, flashing in drills open to the media. He didn’t dress for ND's first five games, but made the road trip to Duke two weeks ago.

He didn’t play against the Blue Devils, but kept producing in practice enough to be on the road trip to Louisville.

“Weeks prior, I was on the scout team, but they brought me up because we had a couple guys banged up,” Faison said. “Coming into (the Louisville game), we had a game plan and had plays set up. Going into the game, it was like, ‘You’ve been working for this moment. As soon as you get on the field, take advantage of the opportunity.’ And that’s what happened.”

Faison’s teammates have taken notice to the work the freshman has put in.

“I tip my hat to him,” tight end Mitchell Evans said. “With him he’s got a season now in the fall, and then lacrosse is in the spring. We’re going to go until January, but then he’s only got a few weeks off and then he’s into spring ball and lacrosse. That’s incredible, especially here at Notre Dame. Athletics are already top notch, and academics are no slouch. He’s got a full load, and he’s a freshman? He’s going to be great in both sports.”

As for what he’d like to be referred to, Faison has a creative title.

“I see your writings on which sport is he first – I just think in between,” Faison said. “I love both sports equally. So, a ‘flax’ player or something works.”

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame freshman Jordan Faison prefers 'flax' title