Jeremiyah Love injury update: New details emerge on Notre Dame RB for Orange Bowl

Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love is expected to play against Penn State in the Orange Bowl but he might not be at full strength. Ahead of the highly-anticipated showdown on Thursday, ESPN’s Pete Thamel provided a pivotal update on Love’s condition.

“I’ve been told he’s going to wear a bulky knee brace on that right knee,” Thamel said. “He’s going to be about 75 to 80 percent tonight. With that percentage for Love, look for Riley Leonard to really run a lot of designed quarterback runs.”

Love at 80% is still better than most running backs around the nation. The Notre Dame standout leads the Fighting Irish’s backfield with 148 carries for 1,076 yards and 16 touchdowns this season. Additionally, he boasts 25 catches for 226 yards and two scores in the 2024 campaign.

Notre Dame will need every weapon at its disposal ready to go, as it prepares to square off against Penn State. The Nittany Lions are only allowing 288.8 yards per game this season, the sixth-least in the country.

The brace Jeremiyah Love is testing in warm-ups is not as bulky as the one he was spotted wearing in practice heading into the game. But it’s still bulkier than a sleeve. He’s expected to start tonight but will not be 100-percent. pic.twitter.com/trwnJ9kkJi

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 9, 2025

Before the game, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman revealed how much he expects Love to contribute.

“As much as we need him to,” Freeman said. “Listen, he’s a competitor, and we’re gonna have to probably take him out at times. But he’s gonna want to be in the game and want to impact this game, and he will.

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“We’ll find ways to get the ball in his hands. But we’re confident in the stable of running backs that we have to have them out there and produce.”

Of course, Jeremiyah Love is far from Notre Dame’s only viable option in the backfield. Running back Jadarian Price is also a handful for opposing defenses. Price erupted for 111 rushing yards and a touchdown on just 12 carries in Notre Dame’s regular-season finale against USC.

Moreover, quarterback Riley Leonard is a significant rushing threat, with 831 yards and 15 scores in the ground game this season. In Notre Dame’s win over Georgia in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals, Leonard notched 80 rushing yards on 14 carries.

The Fighting Irish and Nittany Lions will square off 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday. The game will air live on ESPN. The winner will advance to the national championship to face off against the winner between Ohio State and Texas.