Even though Notre Dame lost quarterback Riley Leonard, the Fighting Irish offense need not worry too much as they still have running back Jeremiyah Love. Love was a solid back for Notre Dame last season, even with dealing with an injury later in the year. Love's return means the Fighting Irish will probably rely a lot on the run game early until the quarterback position is more certain.
Love finished the 2024 season with 163 carries for 1,125 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns, averaging a solid 6.9 yards per carry. While Love may not have been the top running back in college football last season, he seems ready to come back and take over the position this season.
The St. Louis, Missouri native has his eyes on just getting back to the National Championship and winning that trophy, but also another trophy of his own. A running back has not won the Heisman Trophy in 10 years, with Derrick Henry being the last, and Love plans to be the next.
"I just want to go out there and win it," Love said in an interview with On3's Pete Nakos. "That’s a long time, 10 years ago [since a running back won the Heisman], but maybe this year, I’ll have to make it plus one."
Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love is eyeing the Heisman Trophy, he tells @PeteNakos_🏆
— On3 (@On3sports) June 9, 2025
“I just want to go out there and win it. That’s a long time, 10 years ago [since a running back won the Heisman]. But maybe this year, I’ll have to make it plus one.”https://t.co/ySFwieRke9 pic.twitter.com/XcNulenz3K
Jeremiyah Love has everything he needs to win the Heisman Trophy this season
Jeremiyah Love will return for his third season at Notre Dame and his second as the full-time starter. After rushing for just 385 yards in his first season, Love then went off and almost tripled his yardage in year two, so there is much to be hoped for in year number three for Love.
The Fighting Irish are going through a quarterback change with Leonard moving on and Notre Dame most likely using a freshman quarterback this season, so Love's talents may be needed now more than ever. The young quarterback, whichever one it may be, will need time to get acclimated to the college level, so if Notre Dame's run game can be elite, that takes the pressure off the quarterback position.
Love has everything he needs in front of him to win a Heisman Trophy, and if he can be the heartbeat of the Notre Dame offense, he certainly has a great chance of being the first running back in 10 years to win the award.