Jeremiyah Love is coming off a huge junior season in 2025, setting a program record with 21 total touchdowns and finishing as a Heisman finalist. At just 20 years old, he has accomplished nearly everything possible at the college level. Love hasn’t made anything official yet, but his recent comments suggest he’s eyeing the “next opportunity” and that his time in the gold helmet may be winding down. Now, the Irish star has dropped another hint, and it’s not great news for Notre Dame fans.

“I’m most likely done. I haven’t made an official announcement or anything like that.” When asked about his chances of declaring for the NFL draft next season, Jeremiyah Love had a very somber reply. “I’ve been discussing things with my family. And we’ll be coming to a conclusion here pretty soon, within the next week or so. I mean, I gotta do what’s best for me.”

Just two days ago, the junior RB had another emotional moment.

“It’s sad, man,” Jeremiyah Love said on the ESPN tribute show on December 12. “I love Notre Dame so much. Just thinking about it potentially being my last time having a gold helmet on, I mean, it’s sad. I got to keep it moving and go and get prepared for the next opportunity.”

His NFL draft speaks for itself. Love is one of the top running back prospects for the 2026 NFL Draft, with some analysts seeing him as a potential top-10 or even first-round pick.

He’s a true “three-down back,” able to run, catch, and block, making him a threat on every play. Scouts love his technique and vision, and his home-run speed, reportedly a 4.4 forty-yard dash, plus his agility, make him a nightmare in the open field. He can turn a routine run into a long touchdown in a flash. The only area he hasn’t done much yet? Catching passes. He has just 83 yards on 8 catches, but that’s easy to fix.

There’s really no reason for Love to stick around for another year. Staying in college just adds more wear and tear and increases the risk of injury before he even hits the NFL. In the league, running backs usually start to decline around 24 or 25. So declaring early lets Love get a head start on his pro career. It’ll maximize his earnings and potentially help him reach a second NFL contract sooner.

Even though Marcuus Freeman really wants Jeremiyah Love to return, he understands the potential he carries. “I’m just so proud of him,” Freeman said after Love became Notre Dame’s first-ever Doak Walker Award winner and only the second finalist in program history, joining Reggie Brooks in 1992. “The football player he’s developed into, but more importantly, the man he’s become.”

Where can Jeremiyah Love land? 

With Jeremiyah Love’s draft stock taking a jump, let’s take a look at his probable landing spots. In one early projection, the Arizona Cardinals grab Love in the top 10. The Cardinals watched James Conner wear down under total chaos. Then backup Trey Benson couldn’t stay healthy either. That forced them to roll with an absurd mix of Bam Knight, Emari Demercado, and Michael Carter.

Now, Conner turns 31 in May. So he is almost losing the energy to compete. That makes Love an ideal replacement to support whoever ends up under center. Then there are the “good team picking later” scenarios. The Jets might be headed toward moving on from Breece Hall. Or, they could keep him and draft another back to create a dangerous one-two punch. Either way, adding some Love in New York will look good.

The Washington Commanders can be another home for Love. With Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler dealing with injuries, his involvement might be fitting. On top of that, Washington threw together a patchwork committee of Chris Rodriguez Jr., Jacory Croskey-Merritt, and Jeremy McNichols, which looks like a mess. They need to sort it out and give Jayden Daniels a legit, healthy young rushing partner.