2023 MLB trade deadline tracker: Our latest intel, rumors and news
The 2023 MLB trade deadline is just around the corner, with contending teams deciding what they need to add before 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
What does Shohei Ohtani‘s future look like with the Los Angeles Angels? What will follow Max Scherzer going to the Texas Rangers in a blockbuster deal with the New York Mets? Could Jack Flaherty be dealt to contenders? And which of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves and San Francisco Giants will go all-in to boost their 2023 World Series hopes?
Whether your favorite club is looking to add or deal away — or stands somewhere in between — here’s the freshest intel we’re hearing, reaction to completed deals and what to know for every team as trade season unfolds.
Trade grades: Report card for every major deal | Passan’s deadline preview
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July 31 updates
Reds shore up bullpen with Sam Moll
The Cincinnati Reds are acquiring left-handed reliever Sam Moll from the Oakland A’s for right-hander Joe Boyle, sources tell ESPN.
What’s next for the Cubs? After acquiring an infield bat in Jeimer Candelario, the Cubs are turning their attention to the mound, with a focus on the bullpen. They desperately need a left-hander and could use a righty as well. Colorado has two of the former as Brent Suter or Brad Hand; both would be good fits. If the Tigers move any of their relievers, Chicago could be interested in Alex Lange or Jason Foley, both of whom remain under team control past this year. Lange is a former Cubs farmhand, and the Cubs could have an in with the front office: Tigers president Scott Harris began his career at Wrigley. It’s unclear if the Cubs would add a starter, but there could be a need — both Marcus Stroman and Drew Smyly have struggled lately. –Jesse Rogers
Giants add pair of hitters in trade with Mariners
The San Francisco Giants are finalizing a trade to acquire outfielder AJ Pollock and utilityman Mark Mathias from the Seattle Mariners, sources told ESPN. Story »
Cubs add Candelario in deal with Nationals
The Chicago Cubs have acquired third baseman Jeimer Candelario from the Washington Nationals, sources tell ESPN. Story » Grades »
Mets continue sale, deal Canha to Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are acquiring Mark Canha from the New York Mets, a source confirms to ESPN. The Brewers are sending right-hander Justin Jarvis, who’s at Double-A, back to the Mets. Story » | Grades »
Closer Sewald headed to Arizona
The Arizona Diamondbacks are finalizing a trade to acquire closer Paul Sewald from the Seattle Mariners, sources tell ESPN. Seattle will reportedly receive big leaguers Josh Rojas and Dominic Canzone and minor leaguer Ryan Bliss. Story » | Grades »
Could we see a rare New York-New York deal? The Yankees and Mets have made few trades over the past 30 years, but staffers on both sides say the teams would work with each if there’s a deal to be found. That wasn’t always the case. Billy Eppler, the Mets’ general manager, formerly worked as the assistant GM for Yankees exec Brian Cashman. This is all worth remembering with outfielders Tommy Pham and Mark Canha available.
Not surprisingly, the Yankees are said to be still working hard to get an outfielder. Their left fielders went into Sunday night ranking 27th in the majors in OPS and last in some key defensive metrics. — Buster Olney
Two contenders looking for rotation upgrades: Now that the Rays have landed Aaron Civale, the Reds and Orioles are seen by rival execs to be among the most aggressive teams searching for starting pitching today. — Buster Olney
Rays add to rotation with Civale
The Tampa Bay Rays are acquiring right-hander Aaron Civale from the Cleveland Guardians, sources tell ESPN. Cleveland will receive first baseman Kyle Manzardo in return. Story » | Grades »
San Diego is now going for it: The Padres did their due diligence about possibly offloading before the deadline, but that chapter is apparently over. They are now out in the market checking on possible OF/DH help and relief pitching. Fangraphs assesses their chances of making the playoffs at 39.8% after a good weekend against the Rangers. — Olney
Could a Candelario trade happen soon? With trade winds swirling, Nationals third baseman Jeimer Candelario is not in the starting lineup on Monday. Washington GM Mike Rizzo said Sunday that eight teams were interested in the switch-hitting veteran. The Twins, Yankees, Marlins, Cubs, Brewers and Angels were among the possible suitors though it’s believed Los Angeles has dropped out after trading for two hitters in a weekend deal with the Rockies. — Jesse Rogers
Could Verlander be headed to L.A.? The Dodgers have been engaged with the Mets on the potential of landing Justin Verlander, sources have told ESPN. But the prospect of pulling something off has seemed unlikely given the nature of Verlander’s 2025 option, which automatically vests with 140 innings in 2024. If he hits that number, the acquiring team would be on the hook for somewhere in the neighborhood of $92 million for two-plus seasons of Verlander, who will be 41 in February.
But the machinations of the Max Scherzer trade made this interesting. In it, the Mets paid down all but $22.5 million of Scherzer’s remaining salary in order to acquire a premier prospect in Luisangel Acuna, the brother of Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. The younger Acuna is now the Mets’ second-best prospect, according to MLB.com.
Each of the Mets’ top five prospects is a position player. What they need are pitchers, and the Dodgers have plenty of those. The question is whether they’re willing to give up the ones who would prompt the Mets to pay down enough of Verlander’s remaining salary to make both sides comfortable.
It’d be a complex scenario, potentially made even more difficult by Verlander’s no-trade clause. If Blake Snell and Marcus Stroman are off the table, and Logan Gilbert isn’t really available, Verlander — and potentially Eduardo Rodriguez — could be the last high-ceiling starting pitcher remaining. The Dodgers aren’t expected to add another starter if he isn’t of that caliber. — Alden Gonzalez
Padres’ sweep helps clear their murky deadline decisions: Have the Padres’ players convinced their front office to keep them together? Word throughout the industry as of Friday was that Padres GM AJ Preller still hadn’t decided whether to trade Blake Snell and Josh Hader and essentially punt on the 2023 season; he and his lieutenants wanted to wait and see how the weekend played out before making a decision on Monday, the last full day before the trade deadline.
Well — the Padres swept the first-place Rangers, outscoring them 16-4 in the process.
The Padres are still two games under .500 and eight games out of first place, and they have yet to win more than three consecutive games all season. But they also have a plus-63 run differential, have been the best defensive team in baseball based on outs above average, and one could make the case that they’ve been generally unlucky, going 0-9 in extra-inning games and 6-17 in one-run games and posting only a .706 OPS with runners in scoring position. In other words, they’re not quite the Mets.
At this point, it will probably take a lot to pry Snell and Hader from the Padres (especially Snell). — Alden Gonzalez
India likely to stay a Red: Any chances of Jonathan India getting traded this summer were probably put to rest Sunday, when the Reds placed him on the injured list because of a bout with plantar fasciitis. The Reds hope India’s stint on the IL is relatively brief — but the chances of him being dealt seemed unlikely to begin with.
India seems like something of a redundant player given the emergence of young, promising infielders like Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain and Spencer Steer, with Noelvi Marte on the way. But he’s also a critical presence in the clubhouse. The Reds’ desire to get controllable starting pitching in return might be better served for the offseason. — Alden Gonzalez
July 30 updates
Angels additions continue: The Angels continued to go all in on 2023 on Sunday, sending two more prospects to the Rockies in exchange for first baseman C.J. Cron and outfielder Randal Grichuk, both of whom were originally first-round picks by the Angels. Cron and Grichuk represent the fifth and sixth veteran players acquired by the Angels over the last five weeks, joining infielders Mike Moustakas and Eduardo Escobar, starter Lucas Giolito and reliever Reynaldo Lopez. They’re all expected to become free agents this offseason.
It cost the Angels a total of five prospects ranked within the top 20 in their system, according to MLB.com, including two of the top three. The latest moves were a reaction to a lineup that is without Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon and is now without Taylor Ward for the remainder of the regular season after he took an Alek Manoah fastball to the face on Saturday. The lack of depth was causing teams to barely attempt to pitch to Shohei Ohtani. –Alden Gonzalez
In St. Louis, Hicks and Montgomery are just the beginning: The trades of Jordan Hicks to the Toronto Blue Jays and Jordan Montgomery to the Texas Rangers are just the start for the Cardinals, who are in uncharted territory as a team moving pending free agents instead of adding help in July. Starter Jack Flaherty is as good as gone, with Baltimore and San Francisco looking for help on the mound. Infielder Paul DeJong could be part of a package with one of the pitchers, and outfielder Dylan Carlson, who has been scouted by the New York Yankees, could be moved as well. St. Louis will look very different come Tuesday night. — Jesse Rogers
Cubs shifting focus from subtracting to adding: As the Cubs continue to add wins to their pre-deadline streak, the team has decided to pull Cody Bellinger‘s name off the trade market, sources told ESPN.
Now that the Cubs are certain to add, bullpen needs are a top priority. It’s likely the team wants to remain under the first luxury tax threshold, so cheaper additions could be in order. Rockies left-handers Brad Hand and Brent Suter fit the bill, but White Sox reliever Aaron Bummer might be the best of the group simply because he’s a ground ball machine. The White Sox didn’t have the defense behind him to take advantage, but the Cubs do. Bummer is signed through next season, so the return would be decent for the White Sox, though considering he has a 6.69 ERA this year, the Cubs probably wouldn’t have to give up a top prospect to land him. — Jesse Rogers
July 29 updates
Rangers make megadeal for Max Scherzer
The Mets’ surprisingly aggressive teardown continued on Saturday, by agreeing on a deal to send three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer to the first-place Texas Rangers and Scherzer waived his no-trade clause to complete the deal. The Rangers now have a legitimate top-of-the-rotation starter to make up for the loss of Jacob deGrom. The Mets, meanwhile, will have another hole to fill in 2024. It’s clear they’ve given up on 2023 and are using the trade deadline to bolster the farm system and secure long-term sustainability, a stated goal of lucrative Mets owner Steve Cohen, who doesn’t want to be in a position to surpass the highest level of Major League Baseball’s luxury-tax threshold on a yearly basis. –Alden Gonzalez
Will the Padres upend the trade market again? This is the one time of the year in the baseball industry that a small sample size can make an enormous difference, and this might be the case for the San Diego Padres, who beat Texas on Friday to stay on the fringes of the NL wildcard race (Fangraphs pegs their playoff chances at 29.8%). Rival executives say that AJ Preller, San Diego’s head of baseball operations, has been in contact with other teams and is assessing the trade value of some of his most elite players — pitchers Josh Hader and Blake Snell and outfielder Juan Soto, included. The sense from other execs is that Preller would prefer to keep his team intact or even add through the deadline, but that he could pivot and decide to offload before the deadline.
If Preller decides to clean house, he would instantly transform the trade market. Soto would become the best position player available, perhaps attractive to a team like the New York Yankees; Hader would become the best reliever available, someone who could transform the bullpen of the Houston Astros or Atlanta Braves; and Snell would become the best starter available, for potential buyers like the Baltimore Orioles or Boston Red Sox. The Padres made the biggest splash in the market last season, when they acquired Soto, Hader and others. They could have a similar impact this year as a one-stop shop for star talent. — Buster Olney
July 28 updates
Will Giants get infield help from Braves or Royals? The San Francisco Giants are looking for middle infield help, particularly one that comes with a steady glove. Atlanta Braves shortstop Vaughn Grissom and Kansas City Royals infielder Nicky Lopez have been connected to the Giants by industry sources. Giants catcher Joey Bart (out of options next year, probably needs a change of scenery) appears to be available, but Kansas City and Atlanta seem flush with catching so that likely wouldn’t be a fit. — Kiley McDaniel
Two K.C. relievers drawing interest: The Royals are asking for a high return for reliever Scott Barlow — one team was asked for a back-end Top 100 prospect — but have also been getting interest in Carlos Hernandez. As the starting pitchers are coming off the board, the market for relievers should be getting ready to move. — McDaniel
How the Reds could upgrade their rotation: The Reds have used a handful of relievers often — six relievers have already thrown 40 innings each — and have the third-most relief innings thrown in the NL. They’re looking to add an innings eater starter and Lance Lynn (now with the Dodgers) would’ve fit well. The Reds may be turning their sights toward arms like Marcus Stroman, Jose Quintana, Jack Flaherty, Jordan Montgomery, and former Red Michael Lorenzen. — McDaniel
The Dodgers were expected to be among the most active teams in this year’s trade deadline, and they lived up to that reputation on Friday, striking a deal to acquire Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly from the White Sox. The Dodgers began the week by adding a new shortstop (Amed Rosario) and a right-handed-hitting option against lefties (Enrique Hernandez). Now, in Lynn, they have added a veteran arm for their needy rotation and, in Kelly, a familiar face for the back end of their bullpen in Kelly. Though all four of those players — essentially rentals, though Lynn and Kelly have club options for 2024 — have had disappointing seasons thus far, the Dodgers are clearly confident they can get more out of them once they get them into their system. They have a history of doing so. — Alden Gonzalez
Could Arenado fit in L.A.? While the hefty return it would take to pry the All-Star third baseman from St. Louis still makes a deal seem like a long shot, keep this in mind as rumors swirl about Nolan Arenado potentially going from the Cardinals to the Dodgers: The Dodgers have a history of making blockbuster deals around the trade deadline. In 2017, it was Yu Darvish. In 2018, Manny Machado. In 2021, Max Scherzer and Trea Turner. With a close division race this year, that could mean it’s more likely they do make a big move. To fit Arenado, they could slide Max Muncy over to second base and Mookie Betts back to the outfield. And, yes, Arenado is signed through 2026, but the only players the Dodgers have signed beyond 2024 are Betts, Freddie Freeman and Chris Taylor, so there is payroll flexibility to fit in Arenado long term — and still make an offseason run at Shohei Ohtani. — David Schoenfield
Chicago at the center of this trade deadline: With five days left to deal, the Chicago White Sox are looking to follow up their deal sending Lucas Giolito to the Angels by trading away more of their veteran players with Lance Lynn and Tim Anderson two names drawing interest. Meanwhile, the surging Cubs have a tougher deadline decision to make. — Jesse Rogers
July 27 updates
Will Seattle add to its lineup? The Mariners have had an up-and-down and generally disappointing season thus far, and internally, the organization is unsure how much to truly invest into this season when it comes to assessing needs in this market.
The Mariners are not expected to give up key players of their future for would-be free agents at season’s end, like the Angels did while trading two of their best prospects for Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez. Ideally, the Mariners would instead find controllable offensive players — preferably a second baseman or a corner outfielder.
Those types of players will be hard to come by this summer. But in order to truly contend — this year and moving forward — the Mariners need to address their offense. — Alden Gonzalez
Will the Angels add to their deadline splash? The Angels made their big move with six days left until the trade deadline, and they might not be done. Giolito is a nice addition to their rotation and Lopez could be a boost to the back end of their bullpen if he gets right. But the Angels would still like to add to their bullpen and would ideally walk away with another bat, either an outfielder or a corner infielder. A big name here seems unlikely, however.
“We’ll see,” Angels general manager Perry Minasian told reporters from Detroit on Thursday. “I’m not taking off to the Bahamas tonight. We have some time. We’ll try and look to add in places that we can and improve the team any way we can. I’m not gonna box ourselves into one spot. I think there’s definitely multiple ways to continue to improve the club.” — Gonzalez
Texas looking to add to both rotation and bullpen: We’d heard the Rangers could be one of the most aggressive teams this deadline. By all accounts they are, canvassing the market in a push to land both a starter and a reliever as they try to distance themselves atop the AL West — Jesse Rogers
Miami attempting to find lineup upgrades: With an offense that lags behind the teams they are battling in the NL wild-card race, the Marlins are casting a wide net for potential improvements, including at shortstop and in the outfield. They are willing to trade from their system strength of young pitching to get the bat they desire. — Rogers
July 26 updates
Angels making moves: Word spread late Wednesday that the Angels had essentially pulled Shohei Ohtani off the trade market, largely because they want to contend for the playoffs. And then the Angels proved it almost immediately — by acquiring starting pitcher Lucas Giolito and relief pitcher Reynaldo Lopez for Edgar Quero and Ky Bush, two premium prospects. The Angels have put everything into winning this season. That continues.–Alden Gonzalez
Marlins looking to reel in Tim Anderson? The Marlins are looking at White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson, who has finally gotten hot. He still ranks last in OPS among all qualified hitters, but his approach at the plate after the All-Star break has been much better. Anderson is hitting balls to right field again; that’s when he is at his best. Miami ranks 25th in OPS at shortstop — still ahead of the White Sox — but Anderson is a more proven commodity than anyone the Marlins employ. A change of scenery and a smaller market could do him some good, as well. — Jesse Rogers
Yankees casting wider net beyond Cody Bellinger? If Cody Bellinger is off the market, the Yankees might turn to Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson or Nationals third baseman Jeimer Candelario as they attempt to fill a void from the left side of the batter’s box. Candelario would be a solid defensive addition at third base. — Rogers
Too many starters available? This deadline favors teams with players to deal, in general. But one executive noted the volume of teams searching for starting pitchers who are under team control beyond 2023 — and he wonders whether all of the teams looking to move rental starting pitchers (impending free agents) will find trade partners. Among the available starting pitchers who could be free agents this fall: Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, Rich Hill, Marcus Stroman, Eduardo Rodriguez, Carlos Carrasco, Jose Quintana, Jack Flaherty, Jordan Montgomery, Michael Lorenzen and Brad Keller. — Buster Olney
Don’t expect a McCutchen trade: Andrew McCutchen is a free agent at season’s end and might normally be considered a possible trade target. But in this case, there seems to be an understanding between the player and team that he’ll remain with the Pirates through the 2023 season, in a continuation of what has been a strong reunion. — Olney
Trade tracker
Angels land Cron, Grichuk from Rockies
The Los Angeles Angels landed outfielder Randal Grichuk and first baseman C.J. Cron from the Colorado Rockies for two minor league pitchers, RHP Jake Madden and LHP Mason Albright. Story » | Grades »
Braves get infield help from Royals
The Atlanta Braves acquired infielder Nicky Lopez from the Kansas City Royals on Sunday in exchange for left-hander Taylor Hearn. Story | Grades »
Rangers add second starter in Montgomery
The Texas Rangers acquire left-handed starter Jordan Montgomery and right-handed reliever Chris Stratton from the St. Louis Cardinals, who get infielder Thomas Saggese, right-hander Tekoah Roby and left-hander John King, sources told ESPN. Story » | Grades »
Blue Jays land deadline’s top reliever in Hicks
The Toronto Blue Jays are finalizing a trade to acquire right-handed reliever Jordan Hicks from the St. Louis Cardinals, sources told ESPN. Adam Kloffenstein and Sem Robberse are headed to St. Louis. Story » | Grades »
Rangers land Scherzer in blockbuster with Mets
Max Scherzer has been traded from the New York Mets to the Texas Rangers in the first true blockbuster deal of this MLB trade deadline. Story » | Grades »
Astros reuinite with Graveman in deal with White Sox
The Houston Astros and Chicago White Sox are in agreement on a deal that will send right-handed reliever Kendall Graveman to the Astros. Story »
Lynn, Kelly headed to Los Angeles
The Los Angeles Dodgers added an experienced arm for their shorthanded rotation and a familiar face to the back end of their bullpen on Friday, acquiring starter Lance Lynn and reliever Joe Kelly from the Chicago White Sox, sources told ESPN. In exchange, the White Sox received outfielder Trayce Thompson, who was originally drafted by Chicago, along with minor league starter Nick Nastrini and minor league reliever Jordan Leasure. Story »
Mets send Robertson to Miami
The Mets’ offloading officially began on Thursday night with a deal sending closer David Robertson to the Marlins for infielder Marco Vargas and catcher Ronald Hernandez. Story » | Grades »
Santana traded across NL Central
The Milwaukee Brewers are acquiring first baseman Carlos Santana from the Pittsburgh Pirates with 18-year-old shortstop Jhonny Severino headed back to Pittsburgh. Story » | Grades »
Giolito heads to the Angels
The Los Angeles Angels acquired RHP Lucas Giolito and RHP Reynaldo López from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for minor league LHP Ky Bush and C Edgar Quero. Story » | Grades »
Rosario to the Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers have acquired shortstop Amed Rosario from the Cleveland Guardians. Noah Syndergaard is headed to the Guardians in return. Story » | Grades »
Twins and Marlins swap relievers
The Minnesota Twins acquired Dylan Floro from the Miami Marlins in exchange for Jorge Lopez on Wednesday in a swap of struggling right-handed relievers. Story »
Mariners adding arm to pen
Reliever Trent Thornton, who was DFA’d last week by Blue Jays, is being traded to the Mariners. Toronto will receive Triple-A infielder Mason McCoy. Story»
Dodgers reunite with former utility player
Enrique Hernandez is headed back to Los Angeles after the Dodgers traded RHP Nick Robertson and RHP Justin Hagenman for him. Story » | Grades »
Mets add to bullpen in early deal
Bullpen help is on its way to New York, with the Mets trading LHP Zach Muckenhirn to the Mariners for RHP Trevor Gott RHP Chris Flexen. Story »
Texas lands resurgent reliever
Breakout Rangers acquire Aroldis Chapman from Royals for LHP Cole Ragans and OF Roni Cabrera. Story »
MLB trade deadline analysis
Olney: High tension as Arte Moreno, Angels mull Ohtani trade
What an MLB exec says eight bubble teams should do
Let’s make a deal! Proposing nine potential Ohtani blockbusters
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Ryan S. Clark
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Kristen Shilton
The 2023-24 NHL regular season was an entertaining one, with races for playoff position, point and goal leaders, and major trophies all coming down to the bitter end.
But not every fan base got to enjoy all of it so much.
With eliminations piling up, it’s time to look ahead to the offseason. Clubs that didn’t quite hit the mark this season will use the draft, free agency and trades in an effort to be more competitive in 2024-25.
Read on for a look at what went wrong for each eliminated team, along with a breakdown of its biggest keys this offseason and realistic expectations for next season. Note that more teams will be added to this story as they are eliminated.
Note: Profiles for the Atlantic and Metro teams were written by Kristen Shilton, while Ryan S. Clark analyzed the Central and Pacific teams. Stats are collected from sites such as Natural Stat Trick, Hockey Reference and Evolving Hockey. Projected cap space per Cap Friendly. Dates listed with each team are when the entry was published.
Jump to a team:
ANA | ARI | BOS | BUF
CGY | CAR | CHI | COL
CBJ | DET | LA | MIN
MTL | NSH | NJ | NYI
OTT | PHI | PIT | SJ
SEA | STL | TB | TOR
VGK | WSH | WPG
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Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior Writer
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — On the night of Oct. 7, Wesleyan wide receiver Colby Geddis traveled back from a game in Maine with his phone on life support, attempting to track the Notre Dame–Louisville contest.
Jordan Faison, Geddis’ close friend and longtime teammate in both football and lacrosse, was set to make his football debut for Notre Dame. Faison had come to college as a top-50 lacrosse recruit and walked on to the football team as a wide receiver.
Geddis’ phone had only enough juice to allow him to refresh the statistics.
“When I saw him touch the field, I’m like, ‘Holy s—, this kid is playing D-I football,'” Geddis said. “It’s one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.”
Faison has continued to impress his friends, family and Fighting Irish fans, spending the winter and spring successfully juggling two sports that, at Notre Dame, carry the highest of expectations. The true freshman scored Notre Dame’s first goal of the lacrosse season Feb. 14, 38 seconds into the opener against Cleveland State, and is a starting midfielder for an Irish team that continues its quest to repeat as national champions when it faces Georgetown in the NCAA tournament quarterfinals (noon ET, ESPNU). Faison ranks fourth on the team in both goals (19) and points (27).
When Notre Dame began spring football practice March 22, Faison was around as much as he could be, avoiding contact to preserve his body for lacrosse, while still learning new offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock’s scheme.
Faison came to Notre Dame primarily for lacrosse, joining a program that had captured its first national championship in spring 2023. But then football had to come first. He made 19 receptions in seven games as a slot receiver, tied for second on the team in touchdown catches (4) and earned Sun Bowl MVP honors with five catches for 115 yards and a touchdown.
“You’re held to a standard in both sports and you’ve got to meet that standard to make sure the team is developing well,” Faison said. “Being able to do that has just been freaking awesome.”
Faison wasn’t even supposed to see the football field for Notre Dame this soon. He’s also somewhat of an unlikely lacrosse prodigy, hailing from a region not known for producing many college stars. But after a blistering start at Notre Dame, he has become the link between two sports that are often not viewed through the same lens but contain plenty of parallels.
NOTRE DAME WIDE receivers coach Mike Brown spends chunks of his year on the road recruiting, which often means watching prospects compete in other sports. Basketball is common. So are track and baseball. Those recruiting in the Midwest often see future football players on the mat in wrestling singlets.
But Brown hadn’t experienced much lacrosse crossover.
“Obviously with Jordan out there, I’m watching a lot more and just learning,” Brown said. “It’s a lot of similar movements, change of direction, how they rotate. It’s a football slash basketball-ish mix.”
Faison is a distinct talent, but there are other players with football-lacrosse backgrounds competing at the Division I level. There’s even another at Notre Dame. Tyler Buchner, who opened the 2022 football season as Fighting Irish starting quarterback and vied for the QB1 job last spring before transferring to Alabama, returned to Notre Dame over the winter to compete for the lacrosse team, a sport he had not played since early in high school. Buchner is a reserve midfielder for the Irish.
Will Shipley, the Clemson running back selected in the fourth round of last month’s NFL draft, was a standout lacrosse player in high school who could have played both sports at Notre Dame had he signed with the Irish. Maryland defensive back Dante Trader Jr., who started the past two seasons, earned honorable mention All-America honors for the Terrapins lacrosse team in 2023 before focusing solely on football.
So what skills in lacrosse translate to football?
“What wouldn’t?” Notre Dame lacrosse coach Kevin Corrigan, who has led the program since 1988, shot back. “Changing directions, reading a guy’s hips to know when to come out of your break, deception that you use to make guys think you’re doing one thing or another, those are all traits that you’re using on both fields. Forget about the acceleration and stopping and those sorts of things. All the athletic traits translate very easily.”
Geddis, who played both football and lacrosse with Faison throughout their childhood, cited significant tactical differences, but also similarities with core movements. The two sports track especially for wide receivers, who have to beat defenders in press coverage with their feet and hands, just like lacrosse players seeking room to attempt shots.
“It definitely does translate a lot in terms of understanding where to attack leverage on a guy and how to break him down,” Geddis said. “Going against D-I safeties and corners, his IQ and skill set is probably so much better now for lacrosse. And that aspect goes both ways.”
And those talents immediately jumped out to Faison’s football teammates.
“He’s agile, fast, athletic, quick, so no wonder it’s going to translate to lacrosse,” wide receiver Jayden Thomas said. “Seeing him in football, it’s obvious, and then going out to a [lacrosse] game and watching him, it’s like, ‘OK, it makes sense.'”
When Faison’s two-sport ambition came into focus, Notre Dame mapped out a detailed schedule for him. Faison spent the summer and fall with the football team, immersed in the demanding schedule of practices and meetings, and ultimately travel and games. He missed six weeks of lacrosse practice in the fall, as well as weight training and individual work.
After the Sun Bowl on Dec. 28, Faison briefly went home, but he was at the first preseason lacrosse practice Jan. 11 and became a full participant days later. The lacrosse plan called for him to focus on defense, mindful of his time away, but he quickly showed he could handle all the midfielders’ tasks. The 5-foot-10, 182-pound Faison did in-season lifting with lacrosse this spring, while doing little physically with football, where he spent most of his time in meetings as Notre Dame installed its offense.
Corrigan credited football coach Marcus Freeman and strength and conditioning coach Loren Landow for aligning their expectations to ensure Faison is at his best in lacrosse during the spring and at his best in football when the fall comes.
“I’ve told Marcus and them, ‘If you gave us all your skill guys and made them play lacrosse in the spring and they had the ability to play it at a high level, it would be the best training physically for those guys to possibly have,'” Corrigan said.
FAISON’S INTRODUCTION TO lacrosse came easily and innocently.
He was 6 at the time and just finished a youth football game with Geddis in South Florida. Geddis immediately began lacrosse practice on a nearby field. Faison then grabbed a stick and started launching balls as far as he could.
“That got me into the sport, and then I took it and ran with it,” Faison said.
His football teammates all began playing lacrosse for a team coached by Geddis’ father. Faison showed the natural ability to make one-on-one plays and absorbed the finer points of the sport, especially within the team construct. Lacrosse in Florida has become more popular, but the area still trails the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic in generating elite-level competition and Division I recruiting avenues.
“We were smoking every team down here,” said Quincy Faison, Jordan’s father, who helped coach the youth lacrosse team. “Then, when we would take our team up to the North, we would get smoked. So to get better, you need to understand how they operate, how they practice, what they work on.”
To gain greater exposure, Faison began playing club lacrosse during the summers with a team in Long Island, New York. During that first summer, before he entered high school, he lived in an RV with his parents and younger brother, Dylan.
The Faisons posted up in an RV park near Nickerson Beach, about 15 miles from JFK International Airport. Quincy, a technology executive, and his mother Kristen, who works in software development, had the RV equipped with portable high-speed internet so they could keep working.
“My wife and I loved it; I’m not sure how Jordan and Dylan felt,” Quincy said. “We were within 100 yards of the beach, there was a bike ramp set up. I took Zoom calls from the RV. It was basically like camping for the whole summer.”
But Jordan said he had “mixed emotions” about the RV.
“The area was nice, next to a beach, that was kind of fun, but being in tight quarters with my family, sometimes you’ve got to get away from them,” he recalled.
Although Jordan missed hanging out with his friends back home during the summers, he benefited from the club lacrosse experience, rising to No. 48 in Inside Lacrosse’s recruiting rankings. Faison didn’t receive as much attention for football until later in his career as a quarterback and defensive back at Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale.
His recruiting went into three tracks: lacrosse only, lacrosse/football and football only. He wanted to play both sports and discussed the possibility with schools such as Duke and Ohio State, as well as Notre Dame.
The only deal breaker, according to Quincy, is that Jordan couldn’t play quarterback along with a second sport. Jordan also considered schools like Syracuse and Michigan for lacrosse. In the fall of 2021, he committed to Notre Dame for lacrosse, but his football recruitment would eventually pick up.
Iowa, which doesn’t have a lacrosse program, offered Faison for football. About a year after he committed to Notre Dame, he visited Iowa City.
“Recruiting is majorly different between football and lacrosse, the budgets are different, how they treat the athletes,” Quincy said. “So going on lacrosse visits and then going to Iowa, the red carpet’s rolled out, you’ve got your own hotel room, they’re feeding you, so he got googly-eyed. He was actually thinking about just going to Iowa. I said, ‘There’s a lot more into this.’ He gave it some consideration, that’s for sure.”
But Jordan ultimately stuck with Notre Dame even though his football path wasn’t set in stone. The decision has paid off and rubbed off on Dylan, who in March became the first football recruit to commit for Notre Dame’s 2026 class. Dylan plays the same position (wide receiver) and starred in the same sports as his big brother.
Although lacrosse recruiting doesn’t begin until September of a prospect’s junior year in high school, Dylan is expected to be high on Notre Dame’s wish list. He and Jordan could play both sports together during the 2026-27 academic year, which is why Quincy and Kristen are looking to buy a small home near campus. Jordan said Dylan is better than he was at the same age, and boasts more length, at 5-foot-11, to complement his quickness.
“We had it in high school for a year, and being able to have it again here at this special place, it’s just unreal,” Jordan said. “We’ll definitely butt heads a bit, as all brothers do, but it will be really fun.”
NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL welcomed Jordan as a walk-on, but the plan wasn’t to play him, at least not right away, because his scholarship would convert to football and count against the team’s limit. Quincy had heard some buzz that Jordan would ultimately land a football scholarship, but perhaps not until 2025.
“We came into the season with no expectations,” Quincy said.
“I thought I’d probably be on the bench,” Jordan added.
But wide receiver injuries began to mount. Faison’s behind-the-scenes performance also made it increasingly more difficult to keep him out on Saturdays.
“We had an extra scholarship, but that was the last-case scenario,” Freeman said. “Then, we had some wideouts go down, and he was making too many plays in practice. We had to play him.”
Faison made his first career start the following week against USC, as Notre Dame crushed its rival 48-20. He recorded multiple receptions in six of the seven games he played and had 12 in the final three contests, hauling in a touchdown in each.
Some of his biggest plays came in the Sun Bowl against Oregon State, including a 33-yard sideline route early in the second half, where Faison beat airtight coverage to come down with quarterback Steve Angeli‘s pass.
“Coming in here with the goal of playing is the main thing, and then once you play, it’s like, ‘Now I’ve got to keep it rolling,'” Faison said. “Once you get it rolling, the confidence comes and then, with the confidence, that’s where you really see gains develop.”
A procrastinator during high school, Faison still must break old habits to navigate a unique and busy schedule. But he has dutifully followed the plans both teams laid out for him, and communicated with the staffs about potential conflicts. He still finds some downtime to nap or play video games.
Corrigan has seen many students become overwhelmed with the academic and athletic demands of one sport, much less two. But Faison has never lost the “quiet confidence” that he could perform in both sports. Freeman said he wants to support Faison’s future goals, whether or not they include football.
“I don’t know why he couldn’t keep doing this,” Corrigan said. “We have to protect him and his body, make sure he is getting enough rest over the course of the year.”
Faison’s immediate goal, one reinforced by Notre Dame’s lacrosse veterans, is to chase another championship. After another short break, he’ll switch back into football mode.
“He’s laid a solid foundation in his first year here, and we’ve got high expectations going into Year 2,” Freeman said. “He’s handling two different sports and all those demands.”
Florida State has asked the NCAA to reduce and rescind penalties imposed on its football program for NIL-related recruiting violations after the sanctioning body halted investigations into booster-backed collectives.
FSU’s legal counsel sent a three-page letter to Kay Norton, chairperson of the Division I Committee on Infractions, and requested the committee amend its decision. The letter, dated April 24 and shared with The Associated Press on Friday, referred to NIL-related cases involving Tennessee and Florida.
“The university is now disadvantaged by its cooperations and affirmative steps to expedite resolution of the case,” the letter read. “Similar or more egregious violations involving prospective student-athletes and other institutions’ collectives/boosters occurred during the same time period as the violations in the FSU case and some of those violations were being actively investigated and processed.
“Those institutions stand to benefit from the ‘pause’ in the enforcement of shifting NCAA Policy and related legislation — including the postponement of corresponding penalties or, potentially, the complete dissolution of an infractions case — because those investigations began at a later date, were more complex, and/or those institutions elected to obfuscate or prolong an investigation.”
Attorneys argued that the scope of the preliminary injunction as it applies to “enforcement” is unclear and said the NCAA has “provided scant guidance to the membership on that topic other than to advise that it is pausing current enforcement investigations.”
“FSU cannot be the only institution penalized simply because it was first in the queue, the violations for which it is responsible were more limited, and it cooperated fully to resolve its case,” the letter read.
The penalties are the result of a rule-breaking incident that happened in April 2022, when an assistant coach drove a prospective student-athlete to a meeting with a booster. That was considered impermissible contact.
FSU agreed to two years of probation, a three-game suspension for the assistant — offensive coordinator Alex Atkins — recruiting restrictions, a loss of scholarships and a fine equaling $5,000 plus 1% on the football program’s budget.
The Seminoles now want the penalties reduced. They believe they should not be fined the 1%, should not be docked a total of five scholarships over the next two academic years and should not face any recruiting restrictions.
FSU said the COI “should deem certain penalties (or a degree of those penalties) unenforceable and unfair,” the letter said.
The NCAA in March stopped investigations into booster-backed collectives or other third parties making NIL compensation deals with Division I athletes. It came a week after a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit brought by the attorneys general of Tennessee and Virginia.
The antitrust suit challenged NCAA rules against recruiting inducements, saying they inhibit athletes’ ability to cash in on their celebrity and fame.
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