Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love declares for 2026 NFL Draft after award-winning season

Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love runs the ball (2025)
Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love runs the ball (2025)Michael Hickey/Getty Images

Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love officially declared for the 2026 NFL Draft on Tuesday after an award-winning season and one of the best in program history.

Love became the first running back in Notre Dame history to win the Doak Walker Award for best running back in the nation on December 12th. 

The running back was also one of the four Heisman Trophy candidates, named a First-Team All-American, and is projected to be a definite first-round pick in the upcoming draft.

He scored at least one touchdown in every game this season for the Fighting Irish, finishing with a total of 1,652 yards and 21 touchdowns (18 rushing) - the most in a single season in Notre Dame

Love's 1,372 rushing yards are the fourth most in Notre Dame history for a single season, falling behind Vagas Ferguson (1,437 - 1979), Josh Adams (1,430 - 2017), and Allen Pickett (1,394). 

Love posted six games with at least 100+ yards on the ground and six games in which he scored at least two touchdowns. His biggest game of the season came against USC, in which Love ran for 228 yards (9.5 ypc) and one touchdown with 37 receiving yards on five receptions.

This now makes it back-to-back seasons where Love has put up at least 1,100 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns, averaging 6.9 yards per carry each year. 

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