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SOUTH BEND —Two-sport sensation Jordan Faison skipped the first two games of the Notre Dame lacrosse season, but the talented wideout/midfielder is back to pulling double duty this spring.
With the seventh-ranked Irish lacrosse program off until a March 29 home match against No. 8 Duke, Faison ran through football drills Wednesday on Day 1 of spring practice.
“We enhanced it,” Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman said. “It’s still a collaborative effort between the lacrosse program, coach (Kevin) Corrigan and the football program.”
Freeman also noted John Wagle, Notre Dame’s director of sports performance, has been assisting Project Faison in terms of “what’s the load and how much can his body take?”
The two-time defending champs are 4-2 after suffering back-to-back one-goal losses to Maryland and Ohio State. Those programs have a combined record of 15-1 and have moved up to first and ninth in the latest Inside Lacrosse rankings.
While projected starting linebacker Drayk Bowen stepped away from baseball this spring, Freeman remains supportive of sharing one of the team’s most productive receivers with a lacrosse powerhouse in search of a three-peat.
Mike Martin: New Notre Dame football GM Mike Martin explains why the portal won't be the end-all
More: Why Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman still believes in spring game concept
/In four lacrosse games, Faison has five goals, two assists and four groundballs. His seven points are tied for ninth on the Irish, while his 14 total shots rank sevenths.
Sophomore wideout Matt Jeffery, better know for his lacrosse skills, has two groundballs and one goal on 11 shots through four games. Tyler Buchner, the former starting quarterback turned walk-on wideout, has one shot and three groundballs through four games.
“To me it’s still lacrosse season,” Freeman said. “That’s what I told Jordan. If you’re making the decision to play lacrosse, you have to be committed to your team. How can we tailor and adjust our schedule to make sure that he’s getting enough work in to continuously improve as a football player but understanding he has a commitment to the lacrosse team?”
Faison missed three-plus football games last season after suffering a sprained right ankle in the 2024 season opener at Texas A&M. He finished with 30 catches for 356 yards and one score, plus a two-point conversion pass in the national title game loss to Ohio State on Jan. 20.
His average per reception dropped from 16.9 yards to 11.9 yards following a freshman breakout in which he recorded 19 catches and four touchdowns in half a season. Faison was named the 2023 Sun Bowl MVP and projects as the starting field receiver in 2025.
“We’re working together well,” Freeman said. “He’s probably getting more football in this spring than he did last year. I think it was important that we gave Jordan a significant time away from football or lacrosse after the season. It was important we gave his body time to rest before he got integrated in lacrosse.”
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame football timeshare arrangement continues with Jordan Faison
Continue reading...
With the seventh-ranked Irish lacrosse program off until a March 29 home match against No. 8 Duke, Faison ran through football drills Wednesday on Day 1 of spring practice.
“We enhanced it,” Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman said. “It’s still a collaborative effort between the lacrosse program, coach (Kevin) Corrigan and the football program.”
Freeman also noted John Wagle, Notre Dame’s director of sports performance, has been assisting Project Faison in terms of “what’s the load and how much can his body take?”
The two-time defending champs are 4-2 after suffering back-to-back one-goal losses to Maryland and Ohio State. Those programs have a combined record of 15-1 and have moved up to first and ninth in the latest Inside Lacrosse rankings.
While projected starting linebacker Drayk Bowen stepped away from baseball this spring, Freeman remains supportive of sharing one of the team’s most productive receivers with a lacrosse powerhouse in search of a three-peat.
Mike Martin: New Notre Dame football GM Mike Martin explains why the portal won't be the end-all
More: Why Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman still believes in spring game concept
/In four lacrosse games, Faison has five goals, two assists and four groundballs. His seven points are tied for ninth on the Irish, while his 14 total shots rank sevenths.
Sophomore wideout Matt Jeffery, better know for his lacrosse skills, has two groundballs and one goal on 11 shots through four games. Tyler Buchner, the former starting quarterback turned walk-on wideout, has one shot and three groundballs through four games.
“To me it’s still lacrosse season,” Freeman said. “That’s what I told Jordan. If you’re making the decision to play lacrosse, you have to be committed to your team. How can we tailor and adjust our schedule to make sure that he’s getting enough work in to continuously improve as a football player but understanding he has a commitment to the lacrosse team?”
Faison missed three-plus football games last season after suffering a sprained right ankle in the 2024 season opener at Texas A&M. He finished with 30 catches for 356 yards and one score, plus a two-point conversion pass in the national title game loss to Ohio State on Jan. 20.
His average per reception dropped from 16.9 yards to 11.9 yards following a freshman breakout in which he recorded 19 catches and four touchdowns in half a season. Faison was named the 2023 Sun Bowl MVP and projects as the starting field receiver in 2025.
“We’re working together well,” Freeman said. “He’s probably getting more football in this spring than he did last year. I think it was important that we gave Jordan a significant time away from football or lacrosse after the season. It was important we gave his body time to rest before he got integrated in lacrosse.”
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame football timeshare arrangement continues with Jordan Faison
Continue reading...
