Despite claiming he will win the 2025 Heisman Trophy award, Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love insists that he is not focused on his individual hype ahead of the upcoming college football season.
Instead, Love maintains that his primary focus is on helping the Irish be the best version they can be in 2025. After falling one game short of a national title in January, Love says that improving his game is “all [he] cares about” in the offseason.
“From the get-go, I’ve never really paid attention to stuff like that,” Love said, via On3 Sports. “I hear it and it’s cool to hear, but at the end of the day, everything really lies in my own work. That’s really all I care about at the end of the day. I really couldn’t care less about what anybody else has to say because I want to be complete with myself and prove to myself that I am who I am. So pretty much just don’t listen to it. It could be good or it could be bad. I just try to tune everything out.”
Love is coming off a breakout sophomore campaign, leading the team with 1,125 rushing yards and 19 total touchdowns in 2024. Despite Notre Dame's loaded backfield in 2025, Love is widely viewed as one of the best running backs in the country and a Heisman Trophy favorite.
Notre Dame looking to lean on Jeremiyah Love in 2025
Coming off one of their best seasons in program history, the Notre Dame football team has high hopes for the 2025 season. Although quarterback Riley Leonard exhausted his NCAA eligibility, the Irish still have a sky-high outlook with freshman phenom CJ Carr set to take over under center.
As highly regarded as Carr is, Notre Dame will still heavily lean on Love and its experienced running back corps. The Irish return four of their top five rushers from the 2024 season, with Leonard the lone exception. The group is still relatively young, with Love and Jadarian Price the only upperclassmen.
Notre Dame's new-look team will be tested out of the gates. The Irish open the 2025 season against the Carso Beck-led Miami Hurricanes, only to turn around and face Texas A&M in Week 2. Their upcoming schedule also includes matchups with USC, Boise State, Navy and Syracuse.
