Jordan Faison | Notre Dame Two-Way Star

Alrighty, we continue this Zach Gelb show coast to coast on the Infinity Sports Network. Let's hear a little bit about Jordan Faison right now. He's won a national championship with Notre Dame for lacrosse. Now he's trying to do so as well with the football team. And Jordan got off to a very strong start in the college football playoff, reeling in seven catches for 89 yards plus a 43 yard trick kick return and a victory up against Indiana.

Now the Fighting Irish on New Year's Day will be moving on and they'll be going up against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. And now joining us is Jordan Faison. Jordan, first off, congratulations. Appreciate you doing this.

Thanks so much. And how you been? I've been doing good. You know, had a good good game up past days and you know, been chill. Well, now going to a 12 team college football playoff.

You know this the first round. There are four home games to be played that atmosphere on Friday evening to kick the whole thing off in South Bend just looked unbelievable. Kind of take me through your perspective of the atmosphere playing in it. Yeah, it was. It was definitely electric.

You know, coming out of the tunnel to obviously the sound and it. It was just it was amazing seeing the field everyone with a little rally towels. You know we haven't had that before and it was. It was awesome to see and then throughout the game they were allowed. Couldn't really hear yourself during during the game and that's what you want out of your home home stadium. So it was awesome and it was loud to start and it got even louder early on when Xavier Watts, one of the best defensive players in the country, had that interception and then boom.

What else can Jeremiah Love do at this stage with that 98 yard touchdown? That was really some sequence for you guys, right? So let me ask you on Friday night when you guys end up going out there and playing in this game. Just what kind of message do you guys think you sent with with the way that you guys were able to take care of Indiana? Yeah, we just wanted to show the entire world that we were able to play good football and I feel like we did that. You know, we've worked week in week out. Prep rate prepared preparing for this game and you know we were on their shoulder and that's what we wanted to do. You know, you look back at your season. I know that right. It's Notre Dame. It's a national brand.

Everyone watches you. Yeah, but with what happened after A&M to NIU, a lot of people counted you guys out looking back at it. That game against Northern Illinois. You guys haven't lost the game since.

Why didn't that game not break this team when it easily could have? You know, I think having that loss kind of showed who we were. Do you see who people are at their lowest moments and not breaking showed what we had the potential we had and you know the team came together practice that week was phenomenal after that and you know having that loss kind of you know in our back pocket.

I would say. I'm thought of us throughout the entire season, so I definitely said we needed that loss and you know it was almost a blessing. And yeah, we use that as a strength to keep moving forward.

And Jordan Faison here with us. Obviously after that game there was a lot of criticism directed the way of your quarterback. Clearly with his backup against the wall, Riley Leonard is clearly grown this year and down the stretch at Notre Dame.

Just what have you kind of seen change with him really over the last few weeks where you start to get more and more respect around the country? Yeah, we have a brotherhood over here in Notre Dame. You know he's got our back. We got his back.

We'll back him no matter what you know throughout this season. He's just only been progressing. You know he's been working with everybody more been playing better around everybody and you know that's what you want.

And you know with him leading us, you know we played better around him and that's that's all you could ask for is a guy that will bring your whole team up with him. Why was Indiana for you when you look at your individual performance? Seven catches for 89 yards such a favorable matchup looking back at it. You know I was able to, you know, throughout practice we had our practice. We were dialing up plays and getting onto that field was kind of whatever opportunities come your way and make the most of them.

Obviously I had the first. The first ball I had was a drop, but not letting that alter me. I kind of you know kept playing the game. Whatever opportunity came to me had to make the most of it and I was able to do that and then coming out of halftime. You guys wanted to put the foot right back on the gas pedal. You know going into that play on the flip to you and then you had the 43 yard kick return kind of take us through that one. You guys really devised up that play.

Yeah, no, we had a price at throughout the entire week. Kind of had it set up. You know we got our first kick return. Look kind of saw it. Thought it would work and you know come out of halftime.

Coach biology comes up. It's like yeah, we were going to play and I was like alright bet. Let's go got onto the field. You know it worked.

Worked perfection so couldn't ask for anything more. Jordan phase on here with us Notre Dame off to round number two where they'll be going up against Georgia on New Year's Day in the Sugar Bowl. I love your story and I think your story is so cool for people that are that don't know right. You went to Notre Dame on a lacrosse scholarship. You had 22 goals. You won a national championship. You ended up walking on the football team last year.

Got a football scholarship, won the Sun Bowl MVP and now you're in the college football playoff. Just kind of take us through that road that you've traveled and some of the work that goes in behind the scenes to get the production that we saw on Friday night. Yeah, I would say it's definitely been a journey man. This entire process from getting on campus Notre Dame to, you know, playing in my first games, you know, getting on to lacrosse.

I mean, it's all just been a blessing. You know, just takes hard work, dedication, you know, keeping my head down, being around my teammates teammates boosting me. I boost them kind of that back and forth relationship and then I was able to, you know, take the opportunities I was given to make things happen.

I was able to do it. Couldn't thank anybody more than God and yeah, just being able to put things together and you know she's been amazing right now. I've heard coach Freeman say before you've had football offers and you elected to go to Notre Dame for lacrosse. They have an exceptional program. And clearly you've made it work out on the football team working your way up. Why was Notre Dame looking back at it through the process?

The right choice for you? Yeah, at first, you know, I got recruited for lacrosse. My junior yourselves before football officer come in, but I had no idea about Notre Dame.

Didn't think anything much of them. They were my second visit and then I got up here for a game. It was a Clemson game and you know, seeing all that and it's glory was just you could not come to Notre Dame. You know, I'm saying and you know, the 440 kind of aspect of it was a school game and then being able to possibly play both sports. It was just couldn't pass it up and then you don't know when it nowhere else offered that now. I'm not that familiar with the scholarship process, but you had a lacrosse scholarship and then you eventually last year early on in the football season.

I think it was October. Got a football scholarship when you got that football scholarship and you were awarded for that hard work. Just what did it kind of mean to you? It was definitely amazing. You know, I think my parents might have felt it a little more because they got to save a little bit of their money, but no, it was awesome. It showed the hard work that I put in paying off and you know the blessing.

How do you have the motor for this stuff? 22 goals in the lacrosse season. You win a national championship coming off a football season and now you're right back in it in your number two for Notre Dame football trying to win a national championship. Yeah, I'd say just playing for the guys next. You know, wanting to be great for them just allows you to go out there and perform the way you need to.

And you know that kind of vice versa relationship shows the same thing. And you know that Brotherhood we have here on both sports football lacrosse playing for that guy next to you just propels you and everybody else around you. How does football help you with lacrosse and how does lacrosse help you with football?

Just wondering. Yeah, obviously athletic piece, you know, full work and handout coordination and go back and forth. But the bigger piece I would say is, you know, in lacrosse and football, you kind of you have a guy guarding USA of DB in lacrosse and defender. I mean, DB in football and defender lacrosse and you kind of going against that guy. Then also looking back reading defenses and football like safety is coming at you or spinning and then also lacrosse. You got sliding defenders coming so that kind of aspect.

They both go hand in hand and they help tremendously in both. So 22 goals in your first season in lacrosse. You win a national championship.

You scored in the national championship game. When you look back at that experience, just what are the still the memories that are not that far removed from being able to do that right away? Yeah, it was definitely surreal. I mean, in the moment it didn't feel real after you won a national championship. But after you kind of go walk, go back and watch the videos and it's just like like dang, like we really did that. And you know, kind of shows obviously all that hard work, you know, throughout the long season. Being able to put it together and kind of show the world the team we had and the players we had. And it was just an amazing feeling.

Can't be beat. You know, you watch the game on Friday night. Clearly we see what you're capable of as a football player. Like I mentioned, you won the Sun Bowl MVP.

Also going back to last year in the bowl game. Where do you think you are on your trajectory of becoming a great football player? I think still got a lot of work to do, obviously, but being able to show what I show the world what I can do is definitely awesome feeling.

But yeah, a lot more work to do over here. You talked about it with the national championship, how you maybe not have realized in the moment. And then you see the videos when you were walking off the field on Friday night. Did you realize what you accomplished? Or is it just kind of, hey, the job's not done yet. So you can't really appreciate it so far.

Yeah, same. Exactly. You walk out the first like we haven't done anything yet. So we still gotta keep going. So when you advance the page forward and you flip the page forward on New Year's Day, right?

845 PM Eastern Time. You guys are going to be in New Orleans going up against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl from afar. When you start the preparation, what stands out to you?

About Georgia? Obviously, there are hard nose team, great team, been a good team. It's going to be a good test for us. Truly. We're ready for the competition that lies ahead of us and we're ready to work for it.

What do you guys want to prove? Just wondering in that game, because there's still some people when they talk about Notre Dame for like the last decade or so they go out. It's good program.

Obviously, it's iconic brand. But when you get to these bigger games, it hasn't fared. Well, are you guys like hearing that noise? Do you hear a lot of that into the build up for this Georgia game? Yeah, you can't catch it. You can't escape the noise, but we were kind of taught to not the noise.

You know, you obviously can't escape it. You'll see it everywhere, but to not the noise that kind of work within our group within our within our team and kind of reach our full potential. And if we reach our full potential throughout the weeks of preparation, you know that'll show on game day.

And that's what we wanted to do. Last thing I'll ask you, Jordan phase on his football teams going up against Georgia coming up on New Year's Day in the second round of the college football playoff coach Marcus Freeman. If you have to put it into words what he means to you, how do you kind of do that? Great guy for a great leader. He's a great role model, which you want to be as a player on the field and a man off the field.

And, you know, someone we look up to and someone's going to lead us. I appreciate you sharing your story. Thanks so much. And good luck moving forward the rest of the way. Thank you.