Former Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love had a stellar season for the Fighting Irish, despite missing out on a spot in the College Football Playoff. Due to his performances for the Fighting Irish, Love finished No. 3 in the Heisman Trophy voting, behind Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza and Vanderbilt Commodores QB Diego Pavia.
Of the top three, Mendoza and Love are expected to be first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, with Pavia’s NFL future unclear.
Jeremiyah Love Seeks To Upstage Fernando Mendoza
During Saturday’s segment of the “Athletic Football” show, Love revealed his ambition to be the 2026 NFL Draft’s No. 1 pick, a projection that has long been mocked for Mendoza by several experts.
“I mean, I wanna go No. 1. I wanna be the number one player selected,” Love said. “Because I believe in my skillset. I know it’s probably not likely. Like a 99.9% chance that I won’t be drafted No. 1, but just being in a position that I am now, seeing some of the mock drafts, seeing some of the things that people are saying, it’s a great honor.
“I feel very blessed to even be in the conversation of being a first-rounder.”
Love, who won the Doak Walker Award given to the top running back in college football, finished his college football career with 2,882 yards on 433 carries, resulting in 42 touchdowns in just 41 games.
In his latest mock draft, ESPN Draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. mocked Love to be selected No. 8 overall by the Kansas City Chiefs on draft night. In a separate big board not accounting for positional rankings, Kiper picked the former Notre Dame running back as his second-best prospect, just behind Mendoza.
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“Love reminds me a lot of Reggie Bush,” Kiper wrote. “The 20-year-old has vision and burst between the tackles and to the outside, and he can break tackles with ease (60 forced missed tackles on the season). Once he gets into space, he can take it to the house with his breakaway speed too. But Love isn’t only an outstanding runner.”
“He also is a high-impact pass catcher. An NFL team will be able to flank him out wide and create a whole other dimension of the offense.”
Love tallied 1,372 rushing yards on 199 carries, resulting in 18 touchdowns, while adding 280 receiving yards on 27 catches, resulting in three touchdowns in 12 games for the Fighting Irish last season. He earned a PFSN College Running Back Impact score of 92.4.
