Jordan Faison Embraces Bigger Leadership Role in Notre Dame Receiver Room

Notre Dame senior wide receiver Jordan Faison said on the opening day of Notre Dame’s fall camp earlier this week that the biggest area of growth in his game over the past season has been leadership – specifically becoming a more vocal presence with teammates. He is entering his third year in Mike Denbrock’s offense and his fourth as a receiver, a position he had never played before arriving in South Bend, ready to take his game to the next level on the field and on the sidelines.

“Definitely taking that leadership role. I mean, I’m not as vocal of a guy,” Faison said.

The change he described is speaking up when he sees a teammate doing something wrong instead of letting it go.

“So, taking that next step and being vocal with my teammates, kind of picking them up when I see something wrong, kind of telling that guy that something’s wrong, is definitely a big part of my personal progress on and off the field.”

Faison paired the leadership answer with the work he does in the film room. “I mean, on the field, kind of my film study, understanding defenses and understanding offense, probably a big step.”

Faison enters this season with 98 career catches for 1,318 yards and nine touchdowns. Last season was his most productive with 49 catches, along with 640 yards and four touchdowns, including a 105-yard afternoon in the 56-30 win over Purdue and an 89-yard day at Arkansas, where he also completed a 40-yard pass. He’s improved every year after his unexpected 19-catch, 322-yard freshman season that got him on the field and eventually off of a lacrosse scholarship and onto a football one.

Faison setting the tone in a crowded receiver room

Notre Dame’s receiver room lost Malachi Fields, who finished with 2,479 receiving yards across his college career, and Will Pauling, who combined for 62 catches, 1,011 yards and 11 touchdowns last fall. Mylan Graham and Quincy Porter, who caught four passes for 59 yards at Ohio State, arrived from Columbus. Jaden Greathouse is healthy after a season that produced four catches for 73 yards. Micah Gilbert, who caught nine passes for 93 yards and a touchdown, drew a mention from Marcus Freeman on Tuesday. Cam Williams has one career reception. Behind all of that sits a freshman class that has to learn quickly, and Faison is one of the veterans setting the pace for them.

“Yeah, it feels awesome. I mean, this new group of freshmen, They’re different. It’s a little different group, but they’re awesome kids. I mean, they come in, they work.”

Faison described a freshman class keeping up with installs that have gotten deeper for the players already in the system, absorbing the same volume the older guys are getting in year three rather than a trimmed-down version of it.

“Especially with obviously being in the offense for three years now, us older guys that have been here for a while, taking those deeper steps, and they’re right there, not skipping a beat.”

Asked what he does to separate himself in a room that deep, Faison went to the room’s shared habits instead.

“And then we all kind of do the same thing. I mean, if one dude’s doing extra work, he’s taking another guy with him. That dude’s going to do extra work.”

From wing-T quarterback to veteran target

Faison came to Notre Dame as a walk-on and a lacrosse player who had never lined up at receiver. He gave up lacrosse to focus on football full time, a decision that cost him a postseason run he watched from the stands. The starting point he reaches for is high school football in a wing-T, not anything he ever did at the position he plays now.

“Yeah, it’s kind of awesome to look back and see how far I’ve come. I mean, I came here playing freaking quarterback in a wing-T offense in high school and then a walk-on.”

How far Faison has come from where he was when he arrived on campus isn’t lost on him even with a potential NFL future on the horizon. “So, I knew nothing about receiver, and then to where I am now, I mean, I wouldn’t even have thought I’d be here. Understanding defenses, digging deeper into the offense.”

No focus on status, only camp progress

Denbrock made clear on day one that reps in this room will be earned. Faison was asked whether the expectations attached to him change how he attacks camp.

“Yeah, there is absolutely zero focus on that right now. Worried about us getting better in each of our little fields, getting personally better and then getting better as a team.”

Faison might not be focused on those expectations, but with him entering his second year catching passes from star quarterback CJ Carr, it won’t stop Notre Dame fans from focusing on what Faison could do this season.