Notre Dame has one of proudest traditions in all of college football historically. They have had seven Heisman Trophy winners in their history, an award given to the most outstanding football player in the country. The Fighting Irish haven’t, however, had a Heisman winner since wide receiver Tim Brown during the 1987 season. 

Superstar running back Jeremiyah Love is hoping to change that this season, considered as a top three candidate for the award by most. He heads into the final game of the 2025 regular season with the intention to cap off a tremendous junior campaign. On the year, he has rushed for a career high 1,306 yards and 17 touchdowns. 

The 6-0, 214-pound runner has also hauled in 26 receptions for 274 yards and three touchdowns. He did that while averaging a stellar 7.1 yards per carry. Add in the fact that Love is an outstanding pass protector already, and he is a tremendous all-around football player. With one game left against Stanford on Saturday night, he has the chance to cement a trip to New York City. 

A wide open Heisman field 

Love has been considered the riser in the Heisman discussion over the last several weeks, with players like Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin, and Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed having already been in the discussion. Luckily for Love, it has been a very uneven week for the field thus far. 

Reed put together a clunker during the Aggies 27-17 loss to Texas. He completed just 20 of 32 passes for 180 yards and two interceptions, a main catalyst for Texas A&M suffering their first loss of the season. Reed did rush for 71 yards on 12 carries, but those turnovers were a huge reason for the defeat, in the biggest part of the season. 

Mendoza’s talented Hoosier squad had much better luck on Friday, coming out with a 56-3 dominant victory over Purdue. This was a game, however, that saw Mendoza turn in his worst passing outing of the year. After a really rough start, the former Cal transfer completed just 8 of 15 passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns. Many expected Mendoza to torch the poor Boilermaker secondary, but he didn’t take advantage of his opportunity. 

Out of the three other front runners, Sayin had the best day by far. During the Buckeyes 27-9 rivalry victory over Michigan, he completed 19 of 26 passes for 233 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. Sayin was able to make a couple big plays to Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate, helping to snatch the losing streak to the Wolverines. 

While Sayin had a nice day for the Buckeyes, it wasn’t exactly a historic performance. It also helps Love’s case that many believed he had a slight lead over Sayin coming into the week. If he has a big performance against the Cardinal on Saturday night, he has a chance to make a statement in the race. It should at the very least solidify a trip to the award ceremony, but there is no reason why the dynamic runner can’t go win the thing. 

Both Sayin and Mendoza have another opportunity in the Big Ten championship next week to make one final statement. That’s why this last performance for Love is so important.

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