Jeremiyah Love: A Look Back at a Legendary Notre Dame Career
- Noah Wehby
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
Jeremiyah Love has officially declared for the NFL draft following his third place finish in the Heisman race. With Love's Notre Dame career now over, here is a look back at Love's legendary three years in South Bend.
Photo by Notre Dame Athletics
Love arrived at Notre Dame as a four-star prospect after dominating his competition in the state of Missouri, winning the Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year. As a freshman, Love saw the field in all 13 games but was a backup to Audric Estime, who was having his own memorable season. During that 2023 season, Love received minimal carries but was able to find the end zone once during the regular season. He found the end zone one more time in the Sun Bowl, finishing the season with two touchdowns and 504 all-purpose yards.
Coming into his sophomore season, the expectations had grown for Love. He showed flashes throughout his freshman season, but it was now time for Love to carry much of the load for an offense that would heavily rely on him. That season opened up with a big road test against Texas A&M, where Love introduced himself to the national spotlight. In that game, Love gave the Irish the lead with a 21-yard run with just under two minutes to go. From that point on, Love only got better.
Week after week, Love wowed viewers with his jaw-dropping athleticism, whether it was making defenders miss, running through tackles, or jumping right over them. It was in this season that Love broke Notre Dame's consecutive rushing touchdown record with a touchdown in 13 straight games. Although his regular season was more than impressive, it was in the CFP that Love became a Notre Dame legend to many. In the first-ever CFP game, Love scored the opening touchdown in dramatic fashion with a 98-yard sprint to the endzone. It electrified Notre Dame Stadium and his teammates, leading to a dominant first-round win. Love once again added to his resume in the CFP semifinals against Penn State.
Notre Dame had struggled for most of that game, but was able to remain close throughout the second half. In the first minute of the fourth quarter, Love may have had his best run as a member of the Fighting Irish. From the two-yard line, Love hurdled one defender and fought through three more before stretching the ball across the goal line. This run defined not only Love's playstyle, but the entire 2024 Notre Dame season. Love, known for speed and quickness, showed that he is more than capable of putting his head down to fight through tackles. It was an accurate descriptor for a team that refused to quit and often made plays simply by outworking their opponents. Love finished his impressive season with 1,125 yards, 17 rushing touchdowns, and averaged 6.9 yards per carry.
With outstanding play in 2024, Love came into this most recent season with extremely high expectations surrounding him, even being considered as a Heisman candidate to start the season. With those kinds of expectations, it would have been hard to live up to or even exceed them. It could be argued that Love did both. The 2025 season displayed much of what Love has been known for, but it appeared that Love had just gotten better at doing it.
Against Arkansas, Love scored two rushing and two receiving touchdowns in just the first half, becoming the first Notre Dame player to do so. In a huge matchup against USC, Love could simply not be stopped. He rushed for 228 yards and a touchdown, setting a record for the most rushing yards at Notre Dame Stadium. In a very sluggish game against Boston College, where Notre Dame held a narrow lead and were backed up on their own goal line, Love broke the game open with a 94-yard touchdown. This run was exactly what the Irish needed to build a lead and finish with a win. Although that run was vital for the Irish, it was not even his best run of the season. That came against Pitt, when he made a Pitt defender completely miss the tackle with a video game-like spin move that led to a 56-yard touchdown run. To finish the year, Love ran all over Syracuse, totalling 171 yards and a career-high three rushing touchdowns on just eight carries. Unfortunately for Love, his last game in a Notre Dame uniform was cut short due to an injury he suffered early in the game.
Before his injury, Love was able to break Notre Dame's single-season total touchdown record with 21 and tie the single-season rushing touchdown record with 18. Although the season was abruptly cut short due to a controversial decision by the CFP committee to leave Notre Dame out of the playoffs, the 2025 season will always be a special one for those who got to witness Love's greatness. He has recently been recognized by winning the Doak Walker Award, an honor given to the best running back in the country. To add to that, Love was also a Heisman finalist, finishing third in the voting. Lastly, he was also selected as a First Team All-American. In total, Love finished the 2025 season with 1,372 yards, 18 rushing touchdowns, and averaged 6.9 yards per carry.
Players like Love are rare in college football. Whether people love or hate Notre Dame, Love's talent was undeniable. He was a big play waiting to happen, especially when Notre Dame needed it the most. He will undoubtedly be one of the best to ever put on the gold helmet, and while many Irish fans will be sad to see him go, they should be forever grateful for being able to see him play.
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