Is Jeremiyah Love coming back to the Notre Dame football team in 2026? The answer is almost assuredly no. But there is some hope that his head coach, his teammates, could convince him, and maybe even his family, that it's in his best interest to come back for another season. Maybe get himself his own Heisman Trophy.
For his part, Love has made it clear that he hasn't decided 100%. The pull to come back to South Bend for one more year, especially after the team missed the playoffs despite 10 straight wins, has to be a strong one. While he waited to find out if he'd won the Heisman this season, he told reporters that he was coming down to a decision and that it could be announced "inside of a week."
"Most likely," Love said when asked by ESPN if he was leaving South Bend. "I'm most likely done. I haven't made an official announcement or anything like that, but I've been discussing things with my family, and we'll be coming to a conclusion here pretty soon, within the next week or so."
That's certainly not great news for Notre Dame fans. However, it's hardly unexpected to hear that he's leaning towards the NFL.
There are plenty of people - including yours truly - who think he'd be crazy not to go pro. He's one of the most talented players in the draft class, is almost assured an early first-round pick, and most importantly, doesn't have a lot of wear on his tires.
That's the most significant gift Notre Dame has given Love in his time with the Irish. The way they rotate backs in has never had him carrying the load as a workhorse. He and Jadarian Price have managed to stay fresh by alternating drives.
Considering running backs don't have a long shelf life, the Notre Dame star is going to be very, very attractive to NFL teams. He'll have relatively fresh legs when he gets to the next level. While it's possible he could come back for one more season, that's the biggest reason why he might not. Either way, we could know Jeremiyah Love's decision by the end of this week.