Even with the Doak Walker Award in hand, this year just didn't feel like the dream-come-true season for Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love.
Despite being a Heisman Trophy finalist and being less than 11 months removed from an appearance in the National Championship, the roof for the star running back was undeniably higher, and fans of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish were praying that he knew that.
Then, when asked if he would return for another season with the Irish, Love didn't immediately shut down the possibility, leaving the door cracked for him to return.
"I got to do what’s best for me," Love said after sharing that there was a "small chance" he would return to South Bend next year. "I got to take care of my family."
Jeremiyah Love may return for Notre Dame
This season, the Fighting Irish were snubbed and left out of the College Football Playoff, leaving everyone on the team with a sense of unfinished business.
However, as the best running back in the country and one of the best players in all of college football, Love was also one of the most highly coveted players in the 2026 NFL Draft, if he decided to declare. So, that "unfinished business" wasn't necessarily his priority.
Jeremiyah Love told @SportsCenter his Notre Dame career is “most likely” finished, but he added there is a “small chance” he stays in South Bend.
— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) December 13, 2025
His decision is coming in the next week or so.
“I got to do what’s best for me. I got to take care of my family.” pic.twitter.com/moUtmfYYkn
Earlier in the year, Love shared that he didn't want to say goodbye to his home at Notre Dame Stadium quite yet, especially when there was still a chance that the Irish would host a first-round CFP game.
Love clearly... loves... Notre Dame, and it is always hard for a player to leave a program that has made them into the athlete and person that they are today. However, it's also incredibly difficult for a player to turn down the opportunity to play at the next level.
On Saturday night, after giving Irish fans the hope they were asking for, Love would learn if he had secured the Heisman Trophy or not, and then his season would come to an end, with Notre Dame opting out of the bowl game.
After that, it would be up to him to decide if he was coming back for another year of college football or if he would declare for the upcoming NFL Draft.