Jeremiyah Love is making his Heisman Trophy case while chasing bigger goals at No. 9 Notre Dame

By Canadian Press on November 19, 2025.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love appreciates hearing his name in the Heisman Trophy conversation.

He’s just focused on bigger goals such as helping the ninth-ranked Fighting Irish stay in position for a second straight playoff berth and winning the school’s first national championship since 1988.

“I try to keep everything just straight as possible,” he said. “I definitely see stuff, and it’s good to see. That’s also a tribute — the buzz — to us doing good as a program in general, because at end of the day, this is a team sport, and the performances are not really just because of me. It’s because the whole team is playing complementary football. So it’s great to see, but we have to finish the rest of the season.”

Love certainly has done his part to help Notre Dame (8-2, No. 9 CFP) rebound from two straight losses to start the season by winning eight straight to put the Irish back in the postseason debate.

He ranks third in the Football Bowl Subdivision with 113.5 yards rushing per game, 17 total touchdowns and 1,409 scrimmage yards — the only player to appear in the top three of each category. He’s also the first player in Notre Dame’s storied history to produce multiple TD runs of 90 or more yards, a 98-yarder against Indiana in the first round of last year’s playoffs and a 94-yarder against Boston College earlier this season.

But Love’s impact goes far beyond numbers.

He’s padded his Heisman resume with a series of highlights displaying an uncanny ability to maintain his balance while hurdling defenders, spinning out of tackles or rolling off opponents. He’s also managed to team up with Jadarian Price to create one of this season’s top running back duos, a combination that has helped first-time starter CJ Carr emerge as one of the nation’s best young quarterbacks.

Coach Marcus Freeman thinks Love has improved as both a receiver and pass blocker, making him a more complete running back.

“He’s as special of a football player as I’ve been around,” Freeman said. “Every time he has the ball in his hands, he can make something positive happen. He is as dangerous of an offensive weapon that I’ve probably been around.”

The question is how special do the Heisman voters think Love is?

In a sport increasingly dominated by high scores and aerial attacks, Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin remain the betting favorites ahead of the Dec. 13 trophy presentation in New York.

The last two running backs to win the Heisman both played at Alabama, Derrick Henry in 2015 and Mark Ingram II in 2009. The last one before that was Reggie Bush of Southern California in 2005. The most recent of Notre Dame’s seven Heisman winners was receiver Tim Brown in 1987 and only Irish running back has captured college football’s most prestigious award — Johnny Lattner in 1953.

“I’m the type of guy that wants to break off a touchdown run every single play,” Love said. “So if I’m to consistently get one, two to three-yard gains, it’s just not what I want. But I have made myself OK with getting the hard yards and waiting for that one opportunity to hurt the defense by breaking off a long run.”

It’s also unclear how much longer he’ll be doing that for the Irish, considering he’s widely regarded as a top-five talent in the upcoming NFL draft.

Love still has some unfinished business to take care of first. Wins over struggling Syracuse (3-7) on Saturday and at Stanford to finish the season may be enough to earn one of the coveted 12 playoff spots and give Notre Dame an opportunity to play its way back to the national championship game — and this time win it — regardless of what happens in New York.

“I think Jeremiyah Love would be the first to tell you that winning a game is way more important than that individual award,” Freeman added. “He’s going to do everything in his power to make sure we prepare to win a game, and if the Heisman Trophy comes with it, then great. That’s amazing.”

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Curt Rallo, The Associated Press

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