SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Jayden Harrison knows how to start a game with a flourish.
Twice in his college football career, which includes two seasons at Vanderbilt, three seasons at Marshall and will finish with a final season at Notre Dame, Harrison returned an opening kickoff for a touchdown.
Harrison proved to be a kick return weapon under any circumstance with the Thundering Herd. He returned 52 kickoffs for 1,361 yards and three touchdowns in the past three seasons. Harrison finished last season ranked No. 2 in the FBS in kickoff return average at 30.7 yards (23 returns for 705 yards). He was one of only five players nationally to return at least two kickoffs for touchdowns.
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Harrison doesn’t know what his role will look like at Notre Dame, but he can be pretty confident that kick returns will be among his responsibilities.
The art of the kick return didn’t always come naturally to the 5-foot-10, 197-pound Harrison.
“It was a feel thing,” Harrison said. “At first, I struggled seeing where to hit the return, but once I got the hang of it, that’s all she wrote.”
Harrison, who also played wide receiver for the Herd, wrote himself a pretty good ending to his Marshall career as a pass catcher with six receptions for 132 yards, both of which were career highs, in the Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl loss to UTSA.
By early January, Harrison decided to enter his name in the transfer portal. Notre Dame, where he was part of a 26-21 upset of the Irish in 2022, made a strong push to bring Harrison aboard. Notre Dame’s coaching staff pitched Harrison on the idea of being “a piece” that could help in multiple ways.
“That phrase is big, because they know what they’re looking for,” Harrison said, “and they know they need the pieces to go play big to compete for a national championship.”
Whether it’s helping special teams coordinator Marty Biagi develop a more potent kickoff return unit or finding a niche in offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock’s scheme for wide receivers coach Mike Brown, Harrison knows there are opportunities ahead of him.
Notre Dame lost four wide receivers to the transfer portal this offseason. Three of them led Notre Dame’s wide receivers in different categories. Freshman Rico Flores Jr., who transferred to UCLA, led ND’s receivers in receptions with 27. Senior Chris Tyree, who landed at Virginia, led the offense in receiving yards with 484. Sophomore Tobias Merriweather, who picked Cal as his next destination, led the team in yards per catch at 20.3.
“All I know is to keep my head down and work,” Harrison said. “That’s what I’m going to bring. That’s what guys respect. Guys respect how you work. That’s how you help a team.”
Harrison helped Marshall shock Notre Dame in head coach Marcus Freeman’s first game in Notre Dame Stadium. He recorded a team-high 38 receiving yards on three catches against the Irish. He caught passes in front of Notre Dame’s top three cornerbacks that season: Benjamin Morrison (one for 19 yards), Cam Hart (one for 17 yards) and TaRiq Bracy (one for two yards).
“It was surreal,” Harrison said of that upset victory. “We were all so happy — some people even cried. That was a big win.”
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When Harrison stepped into Notre Dame Stadium for his portal recruiting visit, the feelings came back to him.
“I got the same chills that I got when I walked in the stadium the first time we played here,” Harrison said.
Harrison’s early impression of Notre Dame and South Bend reminds him a little bit of Marshall and Huntington, W. Va.
“It’s like the same because at Marshall the community is die-hard Marshall fans, and here they’re diehard Notre Dame fans,” Harrison said. “Everybody is welcoming, everybody is helping. Anywhere you go in the city you feel the Notre Dame love.”
Notre Dame recruited three wide receivers out of the transfer portal — Harrison, Kris Mitchell (FIU) and Beaux Collins (Clemson) — to provide experience that can lead to better production from the position. Last season, no Notre Dame wide receiver caught more than 27 passes.
Even Harrison, who finished tied for second on Marshall in receptions, caught 28 passes last season. They resulted in 410 yards and one touchdown.
Harrison, who was joined on campus by Mitchell as graduate students in January, expects their speed to be utilized in Notre Dame’s offense.
“That’s the trend, and with Coach Denbrock’s offense, they go fast, they had fast players in his offense last year, so that was the pieces they need.”
Because Harrison entered the transfer portal later, he had the advantage of seeing the final product of coaching hires made by Freeman with Denbrock and Brown.
He felt enthusiasm from that trio on his visit. They’ve backed that up in the month he’s been on campus, too.
“It’s been good,” Harrison said. “They’re very welcoming. Caregiving. They make you feel like it’s a home away from home.”
If Harrison feels comfortable, maybe he’ll return a kickoff to the house for the Irish next season, too.
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