Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM JANUARY 2025 9 UNDER THE DOME UNDER THE DOME Game-Breaking Abilities Make It Jordan Faison By Todd D. Burlage Despite getting a late start on his freshman season in 2023, Irish wide receiver Jordan Faison didn't need long to make an immediate impact on his new team. He made his collegiate debut last season in Game 7 against Louisville when he scored on a 36-yard touchdown pass in his first career game on only his second career reception. A terrific launch point to his career, Faison played in seven games during his rookie season and caught 19 passes for 322 yards with 4 touchdowns, which tied for the second most on the team. The two- sport lacrosse and football star provided great hope for a breakout sophomore season when he capped 2023 with MVP honors in the Sun Bowl after he recorded 5 catches for 115 yards with 1 touchdown. Faison's hopes for a monster 2024 season were dashed in Week 1 when he suffered an ankle injury against Texas A&M that sidelined him for three full games, and has limited his production this season to 16 catches for 190 yards and 1 touchdown in nine games. Fully healthy for the CFP, Notre Dame needs Faison to find his game-breaking form from last season to help take some pressure off the Irish rushing game. Faison's elite speed makes him arguably the most dangerous receiver on the Irish roster. And any hopes Notre Dame holds of making a deep run in the CFP hinge on Faison making the same late-season impact that he did last year. Look For Jaylen Sneed To Step Up By Jack Soble Arguably the most underrated storyline of the Notre Dame football season: The resurgence of Jaylen Sneed. Throughout the offseason, linebackers coach Max Bullough and defensive coordinator Al Golden be- lieved Sneed had turned a corner. He played the best game of his career in Week 1 at Texas A&M, and it looked like they were right. But by Week 5 versus Louisville, Sneed had fallen to a distant fifth in the linebacker rotation with just 12 defensive snaps. Sneed walked off the field before the alma mater that day, looking dejected on his way to the locker room. It seemed like his days in South Bend were numbered. But around Week 9 at Navy, he found his footing again. One game later against Florida State, he created 3 quarterback pressures on 6 pass-rush snaps. Notre Dame rewarded him with 43 snaps in Week 13 against Army and 41 in Week 14 against USC. The pass rush hasn't been there for Sneed since that night against the Seminoles, but I think he'll come up with a huge sack in the College Football Playoff. Call it a hunch, call it whatever you want, but I think the former five- star prospect has been playing great football as of late. The days of hoping Sneed truly figures it out — i.e., finds game-to-game consistency — may be fading, and he's knocking on the doorstep of a big play. It's only a matter of time until Sneed impacts a CFP game like the Irish believed he could when they coveted him out of Hilton Head (S.C.) Island. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WHICH NOTRE DAME PLAYER WILL MAKE A BIGGER IMPACT IN THE CFP THAN THE REGULAR SEASON? When senior wide receiver Beaux Collins trans- ferred to Notre Dame last offseason after spend- ing three years starting at Clemson, expectations were high that he could help lift the perfor- mance of a position group that hasn't necessarily brought great production in several seasons. Collins came to Notre Dame as a proven com- modity after the sturdy 6-foot-3, 210-pound wideout tallied 91 receptions for 1,290 yards and 11 touchdowns over 32 games (27 starts) with the Tigers from 2021-23. And while the Los Angeles native hasn't exactly posted All-American numbers this season in the run-reliant Irish offense, Collins' consistent and complementary work in the Notre Dame passing game has made him one of the most valuable players on the team. Collins led the Irish during the regular season with 34 catches for 427 yards and 2 touchdowns. Blue & Gold Illustrated and other local media recently caught up with Collins and asked him about his season at Notre Dame, how playing against a high-powered Irish defense during prac- tice helps him improve, and what going back home to play his last regular-season game at USC meant. BGI: How does practicing against the best pass coverage defense in the country impact your preparation? Collins: "These [defenders] aren't just going to throw their bodies, they're actually good tacklers. I love it. It makes the game more fun. It's not bor- ing on the outsides." BGI: What does it mean to play your final regular-season game as a college player in your hometown? Collins: "I'm just really appreciative of being able to come to a school like [Notre Dame], that goes across the country, and not just playing in their region. Going to a school like this, it sets us up." BGI: What went into staying in the moment and taking things one game at a time after the Northern Illinois loss in Week 2? Collins: "Coach [Marcus] Freeman does a good job of reminding us of what the pain was like after that NIU loss. We've done a great job of not forgetting it. "This season went by just like that, and it's just a byproduct of us coming into work every day, staying in the moment, staying where our feet are." BGI: How difficult was it to stay true to Coach Freeman's message? Collins: "We had to lock in, and say to our- selves, 'We're good.' We had to actually put in the work. That [NIU] week, we were messing around a little bit. But yeah, it's definitely something we can learn from to this day." BGI: Where is the confidence level of this team? Collins: "It's through the roof. A lot of programs and coaches are complacent and settle … 'All right, we're fine, we're good.' "Our coaches just keep pushing us, and that eventually turns guys into hungry dogs. Going into a game and being hungry like that, it gives you the most confidence in the world." — Todd D. Burlage Five Questions With … Graduate Student Wide Receiver Beaux Collins FAISON SNEED Collins led the Fighting Irish during the regular season with 34 catches for 427 yards and and 2 touchdowns. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER