Jordan Faison, a sophomore wide receive for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, had a chance to win his second national championship in less than a year on Monday night. While the Irish fell short to Ohio State in the college football championship game, that wasn’t the case last Memorial Day, when the Faison played a key role in helping the Notre Dame lacrosse team win its second consecutive national championship versus Maryland.
Football and Lacrosse Continue to Be A Great Combination for Dual-Sport Athletes
In the south, where lacrosse is not a traditional sport, it’s difficult to persuade youth athletes to try the sport – especially when they don’t have any familiarity with the sport. It’s not difficult to convince a youth athlete to try football in the south, where the sport reigns supreme. We regularly talk with football players about the benefits of playing lacrosse – not just because the sport is a lot of fun to play, but because lacrosse is a sport that can help student athletes become better football players (and vice-versa). College coaches look for prospective players who play multiple sports, but a lot of kids in the south often gravitate to other traditional sports like basketball or baseball as complements to football. Jordan Faison is one of many examples of athletes who chose to specialize in lacrosse alongside football, which provides us with an opportunity to share some of our thoughts on why these two sports work so well together. Here are a few reasons:
- Agility and Footwork: Both sports require quick changes of direction and precise footwork. In lacrosse, players are constantly moving in all directions – while trying to avoid defenders who use their bodies and sticks to try and slow down offensive players. If more football players played lacrosse, they’d quickly discover their footwork in football would develop much faster than speed and agility training alone.
- Hand-Eye Coordination: Catching passes in football and handling a lacrosse stick both demand excellent hand-eye coordination. Everything in lacrosse is done with a stick in your hand, which makes passing and catching on the run challenging – skills that translate well to the football field. At the same time, the physical play and demands of football prepare athletes to excel in lacrosse as well. If more football players tried lacrosse, they would likely pick the game up quickly and immediately start contributing on offense and defense.
- Field Vision: The ability to read the field and anticipate plays on both offense and defense are crucial in both sports. Again, because lacrosse has much less starting and stopping than football, lacrosse players develop advanced skills in field vision – able to make faster decisions that would also translate to the football field. At the same time, fundamentals learned in football – especially on the defensive side of the ball – are very similar in both sports. Football players with defensive experience would excel in defensive positions on the lacrosse field as well.
- Physical Toughness: Both sports involve physical contact and require both mental and physical toughness to be successful. Football players are naturally suited for the toughness of lacrosse – and playing lacrosse would help football players improve their overall athleticism and toughness in different, complementary ways.
These are just a few of the benefits that come with being a dual-sport athlete in football and lacrosse.
Making the Case for Playing Multiple Sports
Faison’s success story serves as inspiration for youth athletes considering playing both football and lacrosse. Here are some of the benefits of being a dual-sport athlete in these two sports:
- Diverse Skill Development: Playing different sports helps athletes develop a wider range of skills and athletic abilities.
- Reduced Burnout: Alternating sports can help prevent burnout and maintain enthusiasm.
- Increased Recruitment Opportunities: Multi-sport athletes often catch the eye of college recruiters looking for well-rounded athletes to join their teams.
- Additional Coaching Opportunities: By playing multiple sports, athletes are exposed to different coaches, philosophies, strategies and more, which often help them develop even faster as student athletes.
- Better Overall Athleticism: Engaging in different sports can lead to improved overall athletic performance and reduced injuries due to the expanded variety of movements and preparation athletes get by playing multiple sports.
Conclusion
Jordan Faison’s journey at Notre Dame is a great example of the success high school athletes can experience at the “next level” by playing multiple sports. As more athletes follow in his footsteps, we may see an increase in the number of dual-sport athletes who choose to play both football and lacrosse. And in an area where there are so many young, talented football players – there are tremendous opportunities for both these athletes and the teams they might play for in lacrosse. If as few as 8-10 football players would join a lacrosse team in the Metro Atlanta Area (and definitely in the Henry County Area), there’s a very good chance the lacrosse team would win more games as soon as this coming spring.
For youth football players considering lacrosse this spring, Faison’s story serves as a powerful example of the possibilities that await those willing to challenge themselves in multiple arenas.
Additional Inspiration
Jordan Faison isn’t alone in his journey to play both football and lacrosse at the collegiate level. Here are some additional athletes you may have heard of who excelled at both sports:
- Jim Brown: This list has to start with Jim Brown. The legendary, Pro Football Hall of Fame running back is also in the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame. Lacrosse was his favorite sport and he was great at both lacrosse and football at Syracuse.
- Jason Kelce and Travis Kelce: Both Kelce brothers played lacrosse in high school.
- Chris Hogan: Super Bowl-winning wide receiver for the New England Patriots (and later the Carolina Panthers) was an exceptional lacrosse player at Penn State and later in the Professional Lacrosse League.
- Jared Bernhardt: Was one of the best college lacrosse players while playing at Maryland and was later drafted as a wide receiver by the Atlanta Falcons (though he retired after one season).
- Patrick Kerney: Kerney played both football and lacrosse at Virginia and later went on to become a two-time Pro Bowler for the Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks.
- Chris Long: Two-time Super Bowl Champion for New England and Philadelphia, Long retired in 2018 after a 10-year career in the NFL. Long played lacrosse in high school before moving on to play football at Virginia in college.
The list goes on and on. There is a long history of high school dual-athletes who played both football and lacrosse in high school, at least one of those sports at the collegiate level, and ultimately ended up playing professionally after college. If you currently play football and are looking for a different sport to play in the spring, you should consider giving lacrosse a try. Who knows, maybe you’ll end up with a story like Jordan Faison’s some day? If you’re interested in learning more about lacrosse (or the benefits of playing lacrosse and football), please reach out.