Newsstand: New Orleans Saints sign former Notre Dame wide receiver
Ex-Notre Dame wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. is back in the National Football League.
Austin went undrafted in 2022 but signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars and spent that season on the practice squad. He was on the Jaguars’ practice squad to start the 2023 season but was waived at the end of August. In Jan. 2024, Austin joined the United Football League (UFL), playing for the Birmingham Stalions. He finished the 2024 season with 15 receptions for 253 yards and 2 touchdowns.
The New Orleans Saints announced Monday that Austin has agree to terms as a free agent on a one-year deal according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. It’s a fresh start for Austin, who ran a 4.43 40-yard dash at the 2022 NFL Combine.
Top 10
- 1Trending
Alabama AD
Greg Byrne fires back at chatter
- 2Hot
Projecting CFP Top 25
Controversy is coming
- 3
5 for Georgia transfer
Contenders for Julian Humphrey
- 4
ACC commish call out
Jim Phillips challenges CFP committee
- 5New
Kentucky coach on the move
Nebraska to hire UK asst.
Austin was one of the top playmakers for Notre Dame in 2021, leading the Fighting Irish with 888 receiving yards and tying for the team lead with 7 touchdowns. The Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. native had a tumultuous Irish career. After seeing action in 11 games as a freshman in 2018, Austin was suspended in 2019. He has fractured his foot twice since spring 2020 but has played a full season this year. Entering t3 2021 season, Austin had just 6 catches for 108 yards.
Notre Dame tweets of the day
Quote of the day
“I’m excited about my new partnership with Leaf, but what I really want is to ask other states who don’t allow NIL for high school athletes yet to consider changing with the times and being like Mississippi and all the other states who now allow it. Like some of my friends are great players and great people and they deserve NIL deals but aren’t allowed to do them just because they live in Texas, North Carolina or Ohio.”
— Irish QB commit Deuce Knight on signing an NIL deal with Leaf Trading Cards
Headlines of the day
- Lucky Charms: What’s next for ND 2025 wide receiver recruiting?
- Where ND players’ odds rank to win four key college football awards
- The Gold Standard: Previewing a massive recruiting event at Notre Dame this week
- 40 days until ND football: What we learned in the Sun Bowl
- Top 25 most important Notre Dame football players of 2024: No. 10
- Preseason report card: Grading the 2024 Notre Dame quarterbacks
- Notable data, did you know, by the numbers for 2024 Notre Dame quarterbacks
- Notre Dame quarterbacks: Stock up, stock down? X-Factor, freshman outlook
- Overview on Notre Dame’s 2025 defensive back class: What’s next?
- Why the 2024 ND quarterback room is in the best shape possible
- Five Intriguing WR recruits ND football should target in the 2025 class