The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have enjoyed a successful season after getting out to an 0-2 start, and head coach Marcus Freeman recently claimed that running back Jeremiyah Love should be a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate.
“In my mind, yes, he is. There is no question about it,” Freeman told Drew Mentock of 247 Sports. “You talk about one of the best players in the country; if he's not one of them, then, you know, it's hard to believe how many other players are that special.
“He's a special player and he had a great week of prep and, again, continues to do things that you haven't seen but things you know — you're not surprised with Jeremiyah Love.”
Through Notre Dame’s first nine games of the season, the St. Louis native has generated 988 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns while averaging 6.4 yards per carry. During the team’s 49-10 win over Navy on Saturday night, Love scored two touchdowns, one of which was a 48-yard feat that saw him break multiple tackles before reaching the line of scrimmage.
After rushing for 94 yards against Navy, Love has now totaled 1,242 yards from scrimmage on the season. The 20-year-old’s strong 2025 has followed a 2024 season that saw him post 1,125 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns.
Love will have a chance to add to his Heisman case as the Irish end the campaign with games against Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and Stanford. With a potential playoff run looming, it sounds as if Freeman and the Irish will be ready to compete down the stretch.
“I just thought our guys truly prepared the right way, had difficult practices, which is important, and really bought into what we were trying to get them to do, and went out there and performed well,” Freeman said after Saturday’s victory.
“You know, as I told them in the locker room, you feel good now that you got the outcome, but the struggle of the game is no different than the struggle of a week, no different than the struggle of a season. You just got to continue to stay in the moment, continue to struggle in the moment, and, you know, the journey will be a sum of those moments.”
