Irish Breakdown

Jeremiyah Love Was Built by Notre Dame, Now Bound for the NFL

Jeremiyah Love declares for the NFL Draft, and he's more than ready after his amazing Notre Dame career.
Jeff Feyerer|
Dec 13, 2025; New York, NY, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love speaks to the media during a press conference at the New York Marriott Marquis before the presentation of the Heisman trophy. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Dec 13, 2025; New York, NY, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love speaks to the media during a press conference at the New York Marriott Marquis before the presentation of the Heisman trophy. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Since the College Football Playoff field was announced and Notre Dame was left out, Irish fans immediately wondered if they had seen running back Jeremiyah Love in blue and gold for the last time.

Over the last week on the awards circuit, the question was asked repeatedly of Love whether his career at Notre Dame was in fact, over with head coach Marcus Freeman even hinting that he was trying to convince him to come back.

Notre Dame Shaped Jeremiyah Love Into an NFL-Ready Star

However, those efforts and all the hopes and dreams from the Irish fans to get their star back for 2026 proved fleeting (and they were likely never rooted in reality) as Love announced in an Instagram post Tuesday night that he was in fact foregoing his final year of eligibility and declaring for the NFL Draft.

Given the short shelf life of running backs due to wear and tear and the guaranteed money potentially available as a high draft pick in April, no amount of NIL dollars or glory was going to bring Love back to South Bend.

The question isn't whether Love will be a first-round pick; it's how high he will go.

It takes a special talent to sneak into the upper rung of the first round as the age-old question of running back value comes into the equation, though in recent years, we've seen some backs climb high.

Ashton Jeanty went sixth last year to the Raiders, while in 2023, the Falcons drafted Bijan Robinson eighth and the Lions took Jahmyr Gibbs 12th. While its too early to grade the Jeanty pick, both the Robinson and Gibbs picks are proving to be winners.

The closest comp to Love may be Saquon Barkley in 2018, but without quite the same speed. By early estimates, Love will be the highest-ranked running back prospect in the draft since Barkley. Barkley was selected second in the Giants, and although his drafting team didn't ultimately reap the benefits of his success, the Eagles certainly did as they rode Barkley to a Super Bowl last season.

As for Notre Dame, they will now have to replace both pieces of the best backfield in the nation, as Jadarian Price will likely declare as well.

Will it be Aneyas Williams, Nolan James, or one of the talented freshmen coming in? Or will it be a potential transfer who will be the go-to-back for the Irish next year?

Or will C.J, Carr become the focal point of the offense as they transition to a more air-bound attack? That is the question as the Irish bid adieu to the most explosive player in program history.

Love leaves Notre Dame as the seventh leading rusher in school history while also garnering the third most touchdowns from scrimmage behind on Allen Pinkett and Autry Denson.

Published
Jeff Feyerer
JEFF FEYERER

Contributor to various publications on football and basketball, including CollegeFootballNews and Fighting Irish Wire, and former college football podcast host. Notre Dame football historian and recent grad with his Masters in Business Analytics (MSBA '25). Current youth football coach.

Home/Football