The Notre Dame football team is busy getting ready for Penn State in the Orange Bowl later this week, but it looks as though they might not be able to count on Jeremiyah Love getting anywhere near his usual load. The running back has been trying his best after originally getting injured against USC however, it’s clear he hasn’t been 100% since that game.
On Sunday, Love was out with the rest of team in practice, but was wearing a very noticeable brace on the knee he’s injured and reinjured several times since the contest against the Trojans.
The Notre Dame football team has been entertaining questions about Love’s health in each of the playoff games, even after a 98-yard touchdown run against Indiana. According to Pete Sampson, Love was more limited in practice than he was before Indiana and was sporting that brace for the first time.
A couple practice observations from Sunday morning at Notre Dame:
— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) January 5, 2025
Jeremiyah Love: Brace on right knee and limited in activity. Looked more limited than the open practice four days before Indiana.
Howard Cross: Left ankle heavily taped but participated in DL drills.
Notre Dame football running back limited in practice ahead of Orange Bowl
Against the Hoosiers, the knee didn’t seem to hamper Love much, though outside of that 98-yard run he had just 10 more yards on 7 carries. Against Georgia, Love carried just 6 carries for 19 yards and 1 reception for 2 yards.
The Sugar Bowl marked the first time all season the Irish star, who is considered an early front runner for the 2025 Heisman, didn’t find the end zone.
It was also rather obvious that the running back had reinjured the knee that first got banged up against USC. While Notre Dame football head coach Marcus Freeman has said that Love is availably, it’s clear that he’s not 100% healthy and likely won’t be until well after the playoffs are over.