When Jeremiyah Love was selected early in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, it was expected he would be the former Notre Dame star who made a real run at Offensive Player of the Year. However, as fall camps start and teams’ plans start to take shape, it feels like Jadarian Price might have a more obvious path to that title.
It’s not that Price is that much better than Love. But the coaching staff and front office in charge of building out his pro football career might be that much better than the Arizona Cardinals. The Cards seem ready to chain Love to a “rookie” role and not allow him to really break out and show what he can do. Meanwhile, the Seattle Seahawks have unofficially anointed Price the starter, despite being a much later first-round pick and also a rookie.
With Zach Charbonnet possibly starting the season on the physically unable to perform list, George Holani looks like he will most likely be RB2 this season. That means that for the foreseeable future, the former Notre Dame star is “the man,” and the plan is to start him at running back.
As Lee Vowell of 12th Man Rising put it, “He is only going to keep Seattle good, too. Through a week of training camp, Price has shown he can catch the ball out of the backfield, but has made enough of Seattle's elite defense look silly to imply that when the real games begin, Price is going to be a star. He is explosive with power, a combination of a healthy Rashaad Penny and Chris Carson, possibly.”
Jadarian Price may surpass Jeremiyah Love as Notre Dame football’s top NFL rookie
After a long offseason that has seen Price learn a new system, teammates, and everything in between, it can be a little daunting given the amount of information thrown at young players. But he's put his head down and worked hard to get to the point now where he is beginning to understand what new coordinator Brian Fleury is trying to do on offense.
Fleury and the other Seattle coaches have noticed that he’s looked to be the best Jadarian Price he can be. The biggest question out of the draft and the spring was not whether the former Notre Dame star could be a weapon out of the backfield. The biggest question was whether he’d be able to do everything the Seahawks’ offense needs him to do.
More specifically, could Price pick up the blitz and stop a linebacker or defensive end cold when they’re rushing the passer? According to many media reports, Price is just fine in that department.
If that continues to be the case, Jadarian Price will get plenty of reps in his rookie season, and that could mean that it’s he, and not Jeremiyah Love, that gives Notre Dame its best chance of seeing an alum become the Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Add us as a preferred source on Google