$1.6 Million College Football RB Named Best Player in NFL Draft

The stars from the 2025 college football season are poised to take the next steps in their careers in the 2026 NFL draft.

These former college football stars had the opportunity to meet with and perform in drills in front of their future employers at the 2026 NFL combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. One prospect drawing copious amounts of intrigue following the NFL combine is former Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love.

The 6-foot, 214-pounder ranked as a top-five running back in the 2023 recruiting cycle when he committed to Notre Dame. Audric Estime received the vast majority of the carries for the Fighting Irish that season, but Love received his fair share of touches as well.

He finished 2023 with 385 yards and a touchdown on 71 carries to go with eight receptions for 77 yards and another touchdown in the receiving game.

Love functioned as a key cog in Notre Dame's run to the College Football Playoff National Championship game in the 2024 season. He ran for 1,125 yards and 17 touchdowns to go along with 28 receptions for 237 and two more touchdowns.

The campaign Love put together in his final season at Notre Dame was his best work in college. He ran for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns while catching 27 passes for 280 yards and three touchdowns, including a season-high 228 rush yards in the Fighting Irish's win over USC. He compiled those numbers in 12 games, four fewer than Notre Dame played in 2024.

Every college football media outlet voted Love to their All-America teams at the conclusion of the 2025 regular season. Love beat out Ahmad Hardy of Missouri and Kewan Lacy of Ole Miss for the Doak Walker award, an accolade given to college football's best running back. Additionally, Love finished third in Heisman Trophy voting.

Love was already projected in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft, but his showing in interviews and on the field at the NFL combine earned him distinction as the No. 1 overall prospect in the eyes of some NFL analysts. Former LSU and NFL safety and current ESPN analyst Ryan Clark echoed the sentiment on a recent edition of his podcast, "The Pivot."

"Jeremiyah Love is the best player in this draft, and it really ain't close. He was the best player in college football, too. It was actually underutilization at Notre Dame that probably cost him the Heisman, but is going to help him make an immediate impact as a rookie in the league," Clark said. "Dude averaged 9.1 yards per carry against light boxes, 6.9 yards per rush and actually 4.5 after contact because he's that talented."

Love ran a 4.36-second 40-yard dash, the second-best time among participating running backs in 2026. Former Arkansas running back Mike Washington Jr. finished with the best time at 4.32 seconds.

Jeremiyah Love at the 2026 NFL combine. — Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love (RB11) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images