Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman gives update on WR starter's injury

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are coming off a huge win over Texas A&M in College Station in Week 1. It was a great atmosphere, but Duke transfer Riley Leonard flexed his muscles and made an impressive debut in Irish gear. Leonard also got a win over his former Duke coach Mike Elko.

Notre Dame won a back-and-forth 23-13, but they exited the game with an injury to their wide receiver Jordan Faison, who will be out for one to two weeks with an ankle injury, according to Pete Sampson of The Athletic.

“Marcus Freeman says wide receiver Jordan Faison will be out 1-2 weeks with an ankle sprain.”

Faison was listed as a starter on the team's roster and had only two catches for 12 yards in the opening game.

However, the sophomore from Fort Lauderdale is expected to be a key weapon for Notre Dame's offense, so the loss could be bitter for the next few weeks.

KK Smith plays more for Notre Dame

With Faison out for a week or two due to injury, Freeman acknowledged that KK Smith will play a bigger role, according to LeVon Whittaker.

“Freeman says sophomore WR Jordan Faison will be out 1-2 weeks with a sprained ankle. KK Smith is moving up the order and “will be on the field Saturday,” Freeman said in Monday's press conference.”

KK Smith is a sophomore from Texas who did not play in the Week 1 win over the Aggies, but will now step up and “see the field” when he faces Northern Illinois in Week 2.

In 2023, Faison had just 14 catches for 207 yards with three scores in six games, but he is a key starter for the revamped Notre Dame offense with Leonard at quarterback.

The bright spot for Notre Dame is that they face Northern Illinois, Purdue and Miami (Ohio) in their next three games, so there's no reason to rush Faison back and risk further injury.

Matt Wadleigh is the senior NCAA football and NCAA basketball editor for ClutchPoints and also specializes in MLB and NFL coverage. Matt was born and raised in Oceanside and attended Fresno State before writing sports reports for FanSided, Sportscasting and Trojans Wire.