2026 NFL Scouting Report: Jeremiyah Love

Prospect Summary:

In 2023, Love flashed as a freshman, averaging 5.4 yards per carry while totaling 385 yards with a touchdown. In 2024, Love had a breakout season for the Fighting Irish, producing a lot of clutch plays to help the Irish reach the National Championship. As a sophomore, Love averaged 6.9 yards per carry for 1,125 yards with 17 touchdowns. He also caught 28 passes for 237 yards and two scores through the air. The Notre Dame passing offense was inconsistent, and Love picked up the slack and carried the scoring attack to help the Irish.

In 2025, Love was incredible for Notre Dame. He averaged 6.9 yards per carry for 1,372 yards with 18 touchdowns. He had 27 catches for 280 yards with three touchdowns receiving, and Love blocked well in pass protection. He was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, and Love was the best skill position player in college football.

NFL teams have started to re-commit to the rushing offense as veteran backs have been getting paid bigger contracts, and teams have been drafting running backs higher. With his dynamic skill set and natural ability, Love looks like a future starter with Pro Bowl potential as a pro.

For the NFL, Love could be a bell-cow back that is the engine of a potent rushing attack. Love is a strong back who has the power to push the pile and pick up yards after contact. He has outstanding contact balance to maintain his feet while getting hit, and that leads to defenses needing multiple hits on him to get him to the turf. Love has good vision to go along with an impressive, natural feel as a runner. Love has the speed to hit the hole before it closes and good top-end speed to break off long runs. His explosiveness can be seen in his ability to hurdle and leap over tacklers at the second level. Love is a threat to rip off long runs and take any carry to the end zone.

Along with having power and speed, Love has excellent elusiveness and is a creative runner. He sets defenders up with false angles and uses impressive moves in the open field to dodge tacklers. Love is a physical downhill runner with excellent vision, patience, and dynamic cutting ability. With smooth athleticism and stop-start ability, Love is special with his ability to weave through defenses. Love shows serious power to pick up yards after contact and is capable of creating on his own.

Love also functions well in the passing game. He is a nice outlet receiver with quality hands and is dangerous in the open field. In 2025, he looked improved and was a dangerous receiver. Love showed improved route-running, soft hands, and made some acrobatic catches with impressive athleticism to adjust to the ball. Love was also phenomenal in pass protection, showing the ability to protect his quarterback on blitz protection. He was very good at diagnosing the blitz and squaring up defenders to give his quarterback time to get the ball out.

Team sources say that Love is a good kid, and his intangibles are excellent. He is soft-spoken and very smart. Some team sources grade Love similarly to Saquon Barkley coming out of Penn State. Here is a hot press on how team evaluators compare Love to other high first-round running backs like Ashton Jeanty, Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, Leonard Fournette, and Ezekiel Elliott. Multiple sources say that Love is a better prospect for the NFL than Jeanty, Fournette, or Elliott. Love looks like a future three-down starter with Pro Bowl ability. In the 2026 NFL Draft, Love is worthy of being one of the first players drafted, as he is in the running as the best player in the draft, regardless of position.