Football at Notre Dame is once again in the spotlight.
Marcus Freeman guided the Irish to the national championship game in January, and following a string of significant recruiting victories, Notre Dame is demonstrating that the program’s objective is to remain at the top rather than merely compete.
The Irish also have a genuine face of the program going into the 2025 season.
As he starts the season as maybe the best non-quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy, running back Jeremiyah Love is more than just a household name.
In 2024, the 6-foot, 214-pound player ran for 1,125 yards and 17 touchdowns. Love’s 98-yard touchdown to start the College Football Playoff stood out in a season full of ESPN Top 10 plays.
Despite having the sick and a persistent MCL injury, Love outran the Indiana defense and scored the first touchdown in a postseason game on a college campus.
Love remembered on College Football Live, “That play was crazy.” “I noticed daylight as soon as I spotted the hole. I broke away, went down the sideline, and kept running until I started to glance up at the scoreboard or the small jumbotron to make sure no one was approaching me too closely from behind. I was saying during the play, “I’m tired, I don’t feel well, and I hope nobody hawks me down so I don’t look slow.”
Even if it wasn’t healthy, love didn’t appear to be sluggish, but that was in the past.
Whether it’s the Heisman talk or the playoff talk, the St. Louis native isn’t thinking about the previous season or the attention he and Notre Dame have been getting this offseason.
After going from the summit of the mountain to the laughing stock of college football in only seven days last autumn, Love and Notre Dame had to learn some hard lessons.
Because people’s attitudes might change suddenly, Love said, “I try not to pay attention to a lot of things that people say.” “My performance is the only thing that matters in the end.”
It’s difficult to ignore the excitement, particularly over the offseason, but Love thinks he’s managed to stay focused on improving as a player over the previous season.
Love said, “It’s good to see here and there.” “I’d rather not have a huge head. I don’t want to come out as arrogant or superior to everyone else. I’m still developing as a player and have certain things to work on. I simply make an effort to ignore all of it and focus on my own thoughts.
Neither Love nor Notre Dame were happy with how the 2025 season ended. Despite his best efforts to play through the MCL injury, Love only managed 21 carries for 68 running yards in the season’s last three games.
“My goal is to improve upon my performance from the previous season,” Love stated. “I’m not really entering this season with the mindset that I must win this award, achieve this or that, or win a national championship. All I want is to improve upon last year’s performance. Being the best version of myself is what I aspire to.
“I believe everyone on the team thinks that way. They aren’t preoccupied with material possessions or personal success.”