Jeremiyah Love Is Already Proving Cardinals Right Early in Training Camp

ARIZONA — Arizona Cardinals running back Jeremiyah Love doesn't mind the desert heat.

"The heat's been cool. I like heat overall, so it really doesn't bother me anymore unless it gets up to like 120, which it hasn't yet," Love said this week.

Yet an entirely different heat is approaching Love ahead of his first NFL season.

Love, the third overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, has expectations higher than the rising temperatures in the Valley. Such is life when you're a top pick — who plays running back — and has a whole $53 million guaranteed on his contract before playing his first official game.

The good news? If anybody has that ability, it's Love. The Notre Dame running back established himself as one of college football's top playmakers with elite abilities in the run/pass game. The Cardinals aren't gambling on just a running back — they're gambling on an offensive weapon.

So far it's been a smooth transition for Love, who says life off the field has been easy since exiting school.

"It's been easy for me, honestly. I don't got school no more, so after practice, watch your tape, get recovery, video games. That's pretty much it. I ain't got schoolwork to do anymore, so it's been pretty smooth for me," said Love.

"I got a crib now, so I'm living the dream. It's a blessing to be in the NFL. I always wanted to get here, and I'm here, and I'm enjoying every step or every moment of it. It's been great."

The first stepping stone is training camp, where Love has excelled even in practices that are more geared for the passing attack. His route-running as a receiver and explosiveness when hitting holes as a runner has already been on display.

Jeremiyah Love is just 🔥🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/7a00FuKLPO
— Donnie Druin (@DonnieDruin) July 31, 2026

And don't be fooled by the team's initial depth chart, which has him behind Tyler Allgeier. The Cardinals will use him. Plenty. He's already getting plenty of work with the first team offense.

"Moving from college to the NFL, there's a big shift in the guys that you play. Guys are a lot smarter. People move a lot faster. People play with velocity," Love said.

"So that's been a big just difference from college, and I'm making sure I'm processing everything really, really fast, and just trying to get to the level where I know the game just as good or better than the defense."

Love hasn't shied away from competition. He was pretty adamant about playing in next week's Hall of Fame Game (a game where stars and starters typically don't play) while he's stepped up to the plate with nearly every opportunity.

The NFL will humble even the greatest of college prospects. Yet there's a select few of players who make the extraordinary look ordinary. Nobody is crowning Love the best running back in the league, nor is he a sole savior to help dig the Cardinals out of the NFL's basement.

Yet Love has drawn rave reviews from teammates and coaches alike, and while it's clear the Cardinals are going to use a group effort out of their running back room, the table is set for Love to be what so many hope and wish.

"As a rookie, a guy that's just coming into the NFL, I got to get a flow for how fast guys plays, how fast guys pick up on things. That's just the thing that I gotta get better at, which I am," said Love.

"Every day in practice I'm getting better. Making better reads. Making better you know plays. It's just like college. I mean, it's football at the end of the day. Like, like I said, it's just the flow of the game that's different. Guys play faster, but I still go out there and run my routes fast. I still go out there and make plays."

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