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Newsstand: Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love named top returning RB in college football

IMG_7504by:Jack Soble•02/14/25•

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Jeremiyah Love
Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love. (Mike Miller/Blue & Gold)

Notre Dame rising junior Jeremiyah Love is the top returning running back in college football for 2025, according to Pro Football Focus.

Love enters his third and likely final season with the Irish on the heels of a 163-carry, 1,125-yard, 17-touchdown season. PFF college football analyst Max Chadwick pointed to several advanced metrics that show why the St. Louis native will be the best running back in the nation this coming season.

“The sophomore was the second-most valuable running back in the nation, according to PFF’s wins above average metric, while his 91.0 PFF grade ranked fifth,” Chadwick wrote. “Love’s 38% forced missed tackle rate placed second among Power Four running backs this past season, and his 6.9 yards per carry ranked third.”

Love will lead a Notre Dame team expected to make another run at the 12-team College Football Playoff. He actually scored the first touchdown of the new-look CFP, racing to the end zone on a 98-yard run against Indiana.

“The Fighting Irish’s elite run game and stellar defense led them to the national championship game this past season, and the former should still be present in 2025 thanks to Love,” Chadwick wrote. “His fantastic athleticism allows him to run through or hurdle defenders, making him a threat to score from anywhere on the field.”

For PFF’s full top-10 returning running backs entering the 2025 college football season list, click here.

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Quote of the day

“I told them in the locker room, I said, ‘Man, the world is trying to tear us apart right now.’ They want us to point fingers at each other. They want us to blame each other. They want us to separate. But we’re not gonna do it. We’re gonna stick together. We’re gonna fight, and different guys stepped up. Different guys made huge plays.”

— Notre Dame head men’s basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry after the Irish beat Boston College 97-94 in double overtime

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