We haven’t seen a player like Jeremiyah Love in a Notre Dame uniform in a very, very long time
Notre Dame football came into this week understanding the importance of the task at hand. They were set to face off against an undefeated Army Black Knight team, entering the weekend with a 9-0 overall record and No. 19 ranking in the latest College Football Playoff ranking. With playoff hopes on the line, the Fighting […]
Notre Dame football came into this week understanding the importance of the task at hand. They were set to face off against an undefeated Army Black Knight team, entering the weekend with a 9-0 overall record and No. 19 ranking in the latest College Football Playoff ranking.
With playoff hopes on the line, the Fighting Irish had to win their last two games to guarantee a spot in the dance. They handled the first part of business on Saturday, dismantling Army 49-14 at Yankee Stadium. It was a dominant performance from start to finish.
The star of the performance was sophomore running back Jeremiyah Love, who ended the day with 130 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just seven carries, an absurd average of 18.6 yards per carry. Love also hauled in another touchdown through the air as a receiver.
Even before the game, there was an interesting thought posed this week when a reader said that Love might be the best athlete to wear the blue and gold in upwards of 20 years. At first, you sit back, and sort of roll your eyes for a minute. It’s such a hyperbolic statement and surely it’s just being a prisoner of the moment, right?
Then you sit back and think about it, and it really isn’t as crazy as you might initially think. The St. Louis native is absolutely an elite athlete and the type of talents we don’t get in South Bend.
When you try to answer the question, your mind will most likely go to the running back position for obvious reasons. When thinking of the best athletes to play the position in recent memory, it’s pretty much Love by a health margin. Both Kyren Williams and Audric Estime were great players, but they weren't so because they were so bursty or possessed great long speed.
You would probably have to go back to at least CJ Prosise, and there’s an argument that Love might be even more physically gifted than he was. Other running backs people have mentioned range from Ricky Watters and Julius Jones. Those are a couple of the all time names we have at the position, and it speaks volumes for Love even being in the conversation.
If you go outside of the running back position, other names like Will Fuller were also mentioned. One conclusion we can probably gather from the variety of answers, Love is in special company.
Enjoy him while you can, Notre Dame fans. There’s a very good chance the 2025 season will be his last in South Bend. That’s an NFL talent, and a potentially special one.
