Three Notre Dame Players Named Finalists For National Awards

Going 10-2 and being in position for a College Football playoff bid was certainly a team effort for coach Marcus Freeman's Fighting Irish, but it also came with several standout individual performances.

Juniors Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price formed what many consider the top running back tandem in the nation, combining for 2,046 rushing yards. Sophomore cornerback Leonard Moore established himself as a lockdown defender on the outside, intercepting five passes and often deterring opponents from throwing in his direction.

Those three players were recently named finalists for a few prestigious individual awards, which will be announced in the coming weeks. Here's a closer look.

Jeremiyah Love

Following his junior season, Love became a finalist for the Maxwell Award, which honors the college football player of the year. Other finalists include Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin, which is a good sign for Love's chances to be invited to the Heisman Trophy ceremony.

Maxwell Award Finalists	Statistics
Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame RB	199 rush, 1,372 rush yards, 6.9 ypc, 18 rush TD, 27 catches, 280 receiving yards, 3 receiving TD
Fernando Mendoza, Indiana QB	211-293 (72%), 2,758 yards, 32 TD, 5 INT, 183.7 passer rating, 243 rush yards, 6 rush TD
Julian Sayin, Ohio State QB	258-327 (78.9%), 3,065 yards, 30 TD, 5 INT, 184.8 passer rating, 27 rush yards, 0 rush TD

The Doak Walker Award, given to college football’s top running back, also named Love as a finalist. Missouri's Ahmad Hardy and Ole Miss' Kewan Lacy are the other finalists.

Doak Walker Award Finalists	Statistics
Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame RB	199 rush, 1,372 rush yards, 6.9 ypc, 18 rush TD, 27 catches, 280 receiving yards, 3 receiving TD
Ahmad Hardy, Missouri RB	241 rush, 1,560 rush yards, 6.5 ypc, 16 rush TD, 6 catches, 22 receiving yards, 0 receiving TD
Kewan Lacy, Ole Miss RB	258 rush, 1,279 rush yards, 5.0 ypc, 20 rush TD, 25 catches, 154 receiving yards, 0 receiving TD

Jadarian Price

Love's running mate, Price, is up for the Paul Hornung Award, which honors the most versatile player in major college football and is named after a Notre Dame Heisman Trophy winner. Other finalists include Washington running back Jonah Coleman, Texas A&M wide receiver KC Concepcion, James Madison running back Wayne Knight, Louisville wide receiver Caullin Lacy and Texas Tech running back J’Koby Williams.

Paul Hornung Award Finalists	Statistics
Jadarian Price, Notre Dame	113 rush, 674 rush yards, 11 rush TD, 6 catches, 87 receiving yards, 2 receiving TD, 12 kick returns, 450 return yards, 2 return TD
Jonah Coleman, Washington	144 rush, 673 rush yards, 14 rush TD, 30 catches, 344 receiving yards, 2 receiving TD, 3 kick returns, 57 return yards
KC Concepcion, Texas A&M	57 catches, 886 receiving yards, 9 receiving TD, 8 rush, 63 rush yards, 1 rush TD, 24 punt returns, 460 return yards, 2 return TD
Wayne Knight, James Madison	169 rush, 1,051 rush yards, 8 rush TD, 35 catches, 368 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD, 24 total returns, 258 return yards
Caullin Lacy, Louisville	54 catches, 547 receiving yards, 2 receiving TD, 14 rush, 42 rush yards, 0 rush TD, 1 pass TD, 33 total returns, 674 return yards, 2 punt return TD
J'Koby Williams, Texas Tech	127 rush, 707 rush yards, 6 rush TD, 29 catches, 373 receiving yards, 2 receiving TD, 6 total returns, 228 return yards, 1 kick return TD
Ryan Niblett, Texas	29 total returns, 646 return yards, 2 punt return TD, 5 rush, 15 yards, 8 catches, 60 yards
Vicari Swain, South Carolina	28 tackles, 5 pass breakups, 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles, 2 INT, 20 punt returns, 302 return yards, 3 return TD
Kaden Wetjen, Iowa	20 catches, 151 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD, 13 rush, 76 rush yards, 2 rush TD, 33 total returns, 965 return yards, 4 return TD

Following his junior year, Price also became a finalist for the Jet Award, given to the top return specialist in college football. He's competing against Louisville's Caullin Lacy, Texas' Ryan Niblett, South Carolina's Vicari Swain and Iowa's Kaden Wetjen. Here's how Price compares to other contenders.

Jet Award Finalists	Statistics
Jadarian Price, Notre Dame	12 kick returns, 450 return yards, 2 return TD
Caullin Lacy, Louisville	33 total returns, 674 return yards, 2 punt return TD
Ryan Niblett, Texas	29 total returns, 646 return yards, 2 punt return TD
Vicari Swain, South Carolina	20 punt returns, 302 return yards, 3 return TD
Kaden Wetjen, Iowa	33 total returns, 965 return yards, 4 return TD

Leonard Moore

Moore, a sophomore cornerback, is up for the Nagurski Trophy, honoring the nation’s top defensive player. Other finalists include Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, Texas A&M defensive end Cashius Howell and Texas Tech linebacker linebackerJacob Rodriguez.

Nagurski Trophy Finalists	Statistics
Leonard Moore, Notre Dame	31 tackles, 5 INT, 1 TD, 7 PBU, 1 forced fumble
Caleb Downs, Ohio State	52 tackles, 5 TFL, 1 sack, 1 PBU, 2 INT
Cashius Howell, Texas A&M	29 tackles, 14 TFL, 11.5 sacks, 6 pass breakups, 1 forced fumble
Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech	104 tackles, 10 TFL, 1 sack, 4 INT, 6 PBU, 7 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 fumble recovery TD, 2 rush TD

Moore is also a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the top defensive back in college football. He's competing against Ohio State safety Caleb Downs and LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane.

Jim Thorpe Award finalists	Statistics
Leonard Moore, Notre Dame	31 tackles, 5 INT, 1 TD, 7 PBU, 1 forced fumble
Caleb Downs, Ohio State	52 tackles, 5 TFL, 1 sack, 1 PBU, 2 INT
Mansoor Delane, LSU	45 tackles, 11 PBU, 2 INT

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