SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Senior wide receiver Jordan Faison has been named a Burlsworth Trophy Semifinalist, presented annually to the most outstanding college football player who began his career as a walk-on. It’s the second straight season Faison has been named a semifinalist for the honor.
Faison leads the team with 44 receptions for 574 yards and is tied for the team lead with five touchdown catches, a career-high. He’s also Notre Dame’s primary punt returner, posting 12 punt returns for 192 yards (16.0 avg.), including a career-long 56 yard return against No. 1 Miami last Saturday night.
Faison has a catch in 30 consecutive games, which is the second-longest streak by an Irish receiver since 1998 (T.J. Jones, 32). That streak is also the ninth-longest active streak in the FBS.
Faison joined the Notre Dame football team during 2023 preseason camp as a walk-on player, planning to compete for a roster spot with the team and, as one of the top prep lacrosse players in the nation, join the defending national champion Notre Dame lacrosse team as a scholarship player in the spring of 2024.
He made his collegiate athletics debut in 2023 at No. 25 Louisville, catching two passes for 48 yards – which included a 36-yard touchdown grab. Faison’s debut was just the beginning. He would end the season with 19 catches for 322 yards and four touchdowns, capping the year by earning Sun Bowl MVP honors with five catches for 115 yards and a touchdown.
In 2024 as a sophomore, after winning the 2024 NCAA Lacrosse National Championship, Faison made a statement in Notre Dame’s run to a National Championship appearance and wins in the Sugar and Orange Bowl. He played in 13 games and was the leading receiver in four games. He posted 30 receptions for 356 yards and a touchdown. In the CFP First Round win, he collected 132 all-purpose yards and was the team’s offensive and special teams player of the game.
Faison emerged as a key contributor in 2025, leading the Irish with 49 receptions for 640 yards and four touchdowns. He also handled punt return duties, finishing with 15 returns for 153 yards.
The selection committee will announce three finalists on Nov. 17. The finalists and their families will be honored at the annual Burlsworth Trophy Award Show on Monday, Dec. 7, at 7 p.m. CST at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, where the 2026 recipient will be announced.