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Jeremiyah Love Heisman Watch: Where does ESPN rank Notre Dame star?

IMG_7504by:Jack Soble•05/15/25•

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Jeremiyah love-11
Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love. (Mike Miller, Blue & Gold)

ESPN ranked Notre Dame star running back Jeremiyah Love No. 8 in its list of 10 early Heisman contenders.

The list was part of a conglomeration of ESPN college football storylines, 100 days away from Week 0. Love, a projected first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, was the only running back on the list.

“Love ranked second last year in yards after contact per rush (among running backs with at least 150 carries) after averaging 4.41 yards, only trailing Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, the No. 6 overall pick in last month’s NFL draft,” ESPN senior college football writer Jake Trotter wrote. “Love, who figures to get more touches for the Irish in 2025, could be the first back off the board in next year’s draft.”

It is somewhat unlikely Love receives enough touches to garner serious Heisman Trophy consideration — even if he does get more than his 191 in 2024, as Trotter said, he will not approach Jeanty’s 397 — but he has the talent to do it.

Love rushed 163 times for 1,125 yards and 17 touchdowns, good for an average of 6.9 yards per carry. He also caught 28 passes for 237 yards and 2 scores, and Notre Dame will get him more involved in the passing game in 2025. His numbers would look even better if not for a nagging knee injury that bothered him throughout the College Football Playoff.

Still, he ran for a 98-yard touchdown in the first round against Indiana and gutted out possibly the most memorable 2-yard touchdown in Notre Dame history, breaking four tackles — again, on one knee — and dragging defenders with him as he lunged across the goal line.

“I think that shows how much love I have for my team,” Love said in spring practice. “No matter what, I just wanted to go out there and play for my guys and try to make plays when I could. I didn’t care how I felt, whether my knee was hurting or if I sick. I just wanted to go out there and play for my guys.”

Love, a junior, will still split carries with senior running back Jadarian Price and sophomore running back Aneyas Williams. But he’ll be the focal point of Notre Dame’s offense in what is, in all likelihood, his final season in South Bend.

For ESPN’s full story, click here.

ESPN early Heisman Trophy contenders: Jeremiyah Love at No. 8

10. Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams
9. Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer
8. Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love
7. South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers
6. Penn State quarterback Drew Allar
5. Florida quarterback DJ Lagway
4. LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier
3. Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith
2. Texas quarterback Arch Manning
1. Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik

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