Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM MAY 2024 35 BY KYLE KELLY On March 18, the Notre Dame foot- ball program picked up its first pledge in the 2026 cycle. One day after earning a scholarship offer from the Fighting Irish, Boca Raton (Fla.) Saint Andrew's School sophomore Dylan Faison ver- bally committed to Notre Dame. Faison is the brother of Irish rising sophomore wide receiver Jordan Fai- son. The older Faison also is a standout midfielder on the Fighting Irish men's lacrosse team. While college lacrosse coaches cannot start recruiting high school prospects until Sept. 1 of their junior year, Dylan would also like to play lacrosse in college. According to Lacrosse Magazine, Dylan is the No. 1 overall lacrosse pros- pect in the 2026 class. On3 has not yet given him a football ranking. Dylan's football commitment came after being one of 86 recruits to report a new Notre Dame offer on Pot of Gold Day, the program's St. Patrick's Day re- cruiting event. He quickly shut down his recruitment from there. "Notre Dame has felt like home since the first day I stepped on that cam- pus," Faison told Blue & Gold Illus- trated. "Their community is the most supportive, and the school sets you up for life after sports. I couldn't be more grateful." The Irish were the first and only team to offer Dylan, who plays wide receiver and defensive back for his high school program. The Irish recruited him as a receiver and, as Dylan discovered, in- dependently of being Jordan's younger brother. "They let me know every day that they look at me for who I am, not just because of what my brother did," he said. "They said they reviewed my tape and that they think I'm going to be a help to the program eventually." But like his older brother, Dylan is also an outstanding two-sport athlete. According to MaxPreps, he caught 18 passes for 480 yards (26.7 yards per catch) and 8 touchdowns on the grid- iron as a sophomore in 2023. He is also a dynamic punt returner who racked up 61 yards on three at- tempts. In four charted defensive games, he had 20 tackles and 1 inter- ception. Those abilities aligned with the ones first-year Notre Dame wide receivers coach Mike Brown covets in the 2026 cycle. "When we talked, [Brown] told me he reviewed my tape and thought my speed was good," Dylan said. "I could work on some routes. But it's also my first year playing receiver ever. That was my first year. "So, it was a learning point. He gave me some learning tips and things I can improve on before getting up there." In the first 12 lacrosse games of his sophomore season, Dylan registered 50 goals and 26 assists, leading his team to an 11-1 record. USA Lacrosse Maga- zine named Dylan an All-American as a freshman. Jordan was also an All- American last spring. Dylan attended Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Pine Crest, the school that produced Jordan, before transferring to Saint An- drew's School for his sophomore year. Although Dylan is paving a differ- ent path in high school, he could not be more excited to follow Jordan from South Florida to South Bend. "Notre Dame is bigger than just sports," he said. "Notre Dame is not just a place where I want to play sports and figure out my athletic career; I want to figure out my life there. … "This is my life. This is what I want to be for the next 50 years. I want to be re- membered for the college I attended and the friends I made in college because, at the end of the day, that's the most important thing. That's what's getting you ready for life. Without that, you got nothing." ✦ 2026 Receiver Follows In His Brother's Footsteps By Joining The Irish COMMITMENT PROFILE DYLAN FAISON FILM ANALYSIS "Dylan Faison is super, super athletic. When you watch his film, you see him as a return guy and receiver. He plays really good football in his region of Boca Raton, Florida. "He's got wiggle and a little jitter, and I al- ways look for those things. I always talk about a guy who needs to catch a bubble [screen], can break a tackle and get some yards. He definitely has some of that in him. "He's fun to watch. When you keep learn- ing more about him, you learn he's the No. 1 lacrosse player in the country. It's like, 'How athletic is this guy? How much talent does he have?' He's going to come play football and lacrosse. Whatever that family is eating down there, it is working. "He's also a competitor. This guy is going to compete like crazy. He's a high-achieving athlete — in football and obviously with his ranking in lacrosse. You see the same type of skills as Jordan. He's a fun, fun athlete." — Blue & Gold analyst Tim Hyde Dylan Faison (left), the brother of Irish rising sophomore wide receiver Jordan Faison (right), became the first player to join Notre Dame's 2026 class. Like his brother, he is an outstanding lacrosse player and is also expected to participate in that sport with the Irish. PHOTO BY KYLE KELLY