Welcome to game week. Less than six days remain until kickoff in Hard Rock Stadium and the beginning of Notre Dame’s 2025-26 season. The week one test against Miami may have major implications for their hopes of reaching the mountaintop. Fueled by a storied history, the Catholics vs. Convicts rivalry will be reignited for the first time since 2017. As gameday approaches, we will spotlight the #6 on offense and defense for the Irish.
Jordan Faison - junior, wide receiver
A two-sport athlete heavily featured in the midfield rotation for Notre Dame’s national championship-winning lacrosse team, Faison is a gifted competitor on the outside. His combination of speed and elusiveness is a threat to any opposing secondary. Joining the team as a walk-on freshman, Faison contributed to a young wide receiver corps in year one, catching passes from transfer quarterback Sam Hartman. He tallied 19 receptions for 322 yards and ended the season on a high, taking home Sun Bowl MVP after a five-reception, 115-yard performance in Notre Dame’s dominant 40-8 win over Oregon State. He also caught one of his four touchdowns on the season against the Beavers. Year two was not the leap many were projecting, however. Faison was riddled with a nagging ankle injury that sidelined him in multiple games. He also had ball security issues when he did see the field, leading all receivers with at least 10 targets with a 16.7% drop rate. He seemed to be finding his stride late in the season, managing 132 all-purpose yards in Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff (CFP) First Round win over Indiana. Despite last season’s struggles, Faison has looked sharp in the offseason and should promise to be a key component of the offense in 2025 if he stays on the field.
Christian Gray - junior, cornerback
It was a season of high highs and low lows for Christian Gray in 2024. In 15 starts on the outside, Gray finished the year with 35 tackles, three interceptions and nine pass breakups, good for third best on the team. Two of his three picks were the defining plays of Notre Dame’s season. The first was turned into a 99-yard house call that sealed an Irish victory over USC and booked a spot in the CFP. He then helped punch a ticket to the national championship after intercepting Penn State quarterback Drew Allar with 33 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter of the CFP Semifinal. Mitch Jeter would go on to nail the game-winning field goal and send Notre Dame to Atlanta. Unfortunately, Gray was on the highlight reel for the wrong reasons when Ohio State’s superstar wide receiver Jeremiah Smith flew past him and hauled in a first-down reception that killed any remaining Irish hopes of a title. The play was a microcosm for some of Gray’s struggles, as he allowed several big plays when matched up in man coverage on the outside. For all of his playmaking chops, he will have to be more consistent in coverage for this talented Notre Dame secondary to reach its full potential. The good news for Gray is that sophomore Leonard Moore, the reigning Freshman Defensive Player of the Year, should take care of the toughest assignments, leaving Gray to match up with WR2s each week.
