Jeremiyah Love (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
Jeremiyah Love is coming off the most impressive game of his college football career.
The 20-year-old running back posted two rushing touchdowns and two receiving touchdowns in the Notre Dame Fighting Irish’s 56-13 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks. Love posted these totals in the first half alone, becoming the first Irish player since 1996 to accomplish the feat.
The 6-foot, 214-pound junior is starting to increase his draft stock even more as he enters what could be his final season in South Bend. Love is considered the top running back prospect entering the 2026 NFL Draft. He is considered an “easy” first-round pick, according to Fox Sports draft analyst Rob Rang.
Although Love has drawn comparisons to some quality running backs, including Atlanta Falcons star and first-round pick Bijan Robinson, he says he didn’t model his game after any particular running back.
“No, I did not,” says Love in a one-on-one interview with RG on if he modeled his game after any running back. “Growing up, I didn’t really watch football or pretty much any sports in general. I just played football as a kid. My dad would put on some Barry Sanders highlights. But there’s never really anybody that I said I’m going to mold in my game after. It wasn’t until recently that I started watching more football and sports in general, partly because I wanted to increase my knowledge of the game. I want to be more connected with football in general.”
Barkley, Gibbs Among RBs That Love Follows
While the future first-round pick didn’t model his game after any running back specifically, he does “like” four running backs — Saquon Barkley, Jahmyr Gibbs, Barry Sanders, and Marshawn Lynch. Barkley is the best back in the NFL right now, Gibbs is currently a Pro Bowl back as a member of the Detroit Lions, Sanders is arguably the best back ever, and Lynch was one of the best running backs of the previous generation.
“As of right now, I would say the players that I do like and that I do watch sometimes are Saquon Barkley, Jahmyr Gibbs, Barry Sanders — I watched him a little bit when I was a kid. I didn’t model my game after him, but I did see some clips of him and him just doing what he does on the field. I like Marshawn Lynch, and there’s a couple other guys too, but I just can’t think of them. Those are guys that I like right now.”
Barkley is the reigning Offensive Player of the Year after becoming just the ninth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season. The 28-year-old also recently led the Philadelphia Eagles to the Super Bowl in his first season.
Love details why he’s a big fan of Barkley, saying it’s the “freedom” that he plays with that really captures his attention.
“His best trait — it’s not really a trait. It’s more of a mindset. It’s just the freedom that he plays with. He goes out there, and he does some crazy stuff. Last year it was the backwards hurdle. This year, just making people miss and just making plays. From what I’ve seen, he doesn’t go out there with any type of fear. He goes out there with the utmost confidence in himself and also his team to just put him in the best position to make plays.”
“He just goes out there, and he plays free,” Barkley continues to say.
“I see that, and I try to emulate that a little bit into my game, just that mindset of playing free and going out there and just making plays, wherever it may be, or whatever situation you’re in, just going out there and being yourself. I feel like Saquon does a very good job of that. I see that as a player.”
Love says he hasn’t spoken to Barkley, but his running backs coach, Ja’Juan Seider, has connections with Barkley. Love says he “hopes” he can one day speak to Barkley.
However, he has spoken to other NFL running back such as Kyren Williams, Derrick Henry, and Jacksonville Jaguars great Fred Taylor, saying that he received “advice” from the Florida Gators legend.
Love on ND’s CFP Hopes
Entering this weekend’s matchup against the Boise State Broncos, the Fighting Irish are 2-2 and in the midst of a two-game win streak. Notre Dame is attempting to rebound after losing their first two games of the season against ranked opponents such as the Miami Hurricanes and Texas A&M Aggies. They lost those games by a combined total of four points.
The good news for the Irish is that their remaining games are against unranked opponents. In other words, the toughest part of their schedule is over.
They’ll be looking to replicate last season’s success when they advanced to the College Football National Championship Game.
“We just want to go out there every single week and execute — that’s really all it is,” says Love of the key moving forward. “We’re not really focusing on the future right now. We’re going to take everything week by week, because at the end of the day, that’s really all that matters. Taking it week by week and being 0-0 and hopefully at the end of the week, you’re 1-0. That’s the mindset that we have going forward.”
“Individually, my mindset is to go out there and do the things that I need to do in order to help my team have success and help my team get wins,” Love continues to say. “Really not thinking about too much of anything else, just football, school and just putting our head down and grinding. That’s all we focus on.”
Notre Dame came up short in their bid to win their first title since 1988 when they fell to the Ohio State Buckeyes, 34-23, last season. Love says the objective is to “elevate” and “get better” as a program to where it can hopefully lead to a national championship.
“The objective this season is to just elevate,” says Love. “If that elevation leads to a national championship, great. If it leads to something else, great. But we just want to get better as a program, as a team and as people.”