Freshman may make Notre Dame football debut thanks to injured teammate

When Notre Dame football wide receiver Jordan Faison had to exit the game against Texas A&M early on, there was hope that the Fighting Irish would be back quickly. As it turns out, he won’t be back so quickly that he’s able to play in his team’s next contest.

Head coach Marcus Freeman released a depth chart on Monday that showed Faison is not available for this Saturday’s game against Northern Illinois. However, Freeman also made it clear he doesn’t believe the receiver’s injury is bad enough to keep him out much longer.

Freeman said that Faison will be out for 1-2 weeks with an ankle sprain. The good news there is if it is two weeks max, he’ll be back in plenty of time to square off against Louisville, which is arguably the next time he’d actually be needed. In the meantime, it looks like a freshman could make his debut for the Notre Dame football team.

Redshirt freshman KK Smith has been good enough to make the Fighting Irish depth chart in the past, but he hasn’t played in a game just yet. Listed just behind Kris Mitchell and officially replacing Jordan Faison, it seems more than likely that he’ll at least get a snap and possibly haul down a pass.

Notre Dame football freshman KK Smith gets his shot

While most of the focus of the wide receiver talk this year has been on Beaux Collins, Mitchell, Jaden Greathouse and Faison, Smith has been a bit lost in the shuffle.

The former 3-star prospect out of Frisco, Texas did have himself a stellar freshman season, catching 59 passes for 832 yards and 7 touchdowns. He also showe an ability to shape himself into a bigger threat after having just 35 receptions for 475 yards and 6 touchdowns the year prior.

It appears he’s going to get his shot, especially against a defense that won’t have the Notre Dame football team playing off its back foot so often. We’ll have to wait and see whether KK Smith can take advantage of the opening while it exists.