Jeremiyah Love | RB | Notre Dame | 2026 NFL Draft Eligible
When you think of the 2023 Notre Dame Irish backfield, rookie Broncos’ RB Audric Estime likely comes to mind. Estime was an absolute bruiser of a back, listed at a whopping 220 pounds. He bullied his way into 1,300 rush yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground, displaying some soft hands in the receiving game as well. However, HC Marcus Freeman also utilized a true freshman out of the backfield: former 4-star recruit Jeremiyah Love. He had a productive Year 1 in his own right and now projects to be an integral part of this Irish offense as we head into 2024. I will briefly cover Love’s high school resume, followed by his freshman season and my take on him from a Dynasty and Devy perspective.
High School
Jeremiyah Love attended Christian Brothers in St. Louis, Missouri, and was deemed a 4-star talent by all four major recruiting platforms. On3 actually had Love ranked as the RB4 overall in his class and the second-best player in Missouri overall. Love had an unbelievable high school football career, leading Christian Brothers to back-to-back state championships. He finished his junior season with nearly 1,000 yards and 14 touchdowns and followed that up with an even better senior season. As a senior, Love posted 1,661 scrimmage yards and 27 total touchdowns, earning him the honors of MaxPreps Missouri Player of the Year and Gatorade Missouri Player of the Year. Love was also a track star in high school, winning state in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.76 seconds. He was, without a doubt, one of the best athletes in the country in this 2023 class.
Freshman Year
As a true freshman for Notre Dame, Love’s talent was immediately put to use. He ended the 2023 season with 72 carries for 378 yards and a touchdown, adding seven receptions for 84 yards and a score. One of his best games was against Ohio State, rushing for 57 yards and averaging 7.1 YPA. He followed that performance up with two more games averaging over 7.0 YPA, both against teams that were ranked at the time (Duke and Louisville). With Audric Estime in the bell cow role, we weren’t expecting a ton of opportunities for Love, but he did well with the chances he was given. Now, he looks to take on a much larger role in the backfield alongside junior Jadarian Price.
2024 Projections
Love has put on quite a bit of size since joining the Irish last season. Initially, he was listed at 6’0″ and 195 pounds, which is certainly undersized for an RB from a BMI perspective. According to an article by Tim Prister of 247 Sports, Love weighed in at 206 pounds this Spring and is expected to come in at 210 or more once the season starts. This size and frame should give Coach Freeman much more confidence to feed the Love the rock 10-15 times a game. It’s unlikely that Love will ever be that back that receives 200+ rush attempts in a season, but that’s not where his strengths lie. He’s an excellent route runner and receiver, and he has the speed and quickness to create separation from DBs. Because of this, Love has been getting some work as a receiver this Spring as well. Love says he’s comfortable lining up in the slot and out wide and is willing to do whatever is asked of him.
I foresee the backfield being a 60/40 split between Love and Price, with Love seeing about 150 rush attempts in 2024. But I fully expect him to be utilized in a number of creative ways, including as a receiver and in motion. Love is best when he has the ball out in open space, using his burst and one-cut ability to break off big gains. Notre Dame will want to find as many ways as possible to get the ball in this young man’s hands. I expect 30+ receptions for Love next season as he gains a bunch of attention for the 2026 NFL Draft.
Devy/Dynasty Value
It’s unclear exactly what kind of role Love will play once he finally takes his talents to the NFL. We’re still at least two years out, so he has plenty of time to develop and improve his game and continue to get bigger and stronger. Just because Love doesn’t project to be a workhorse back in the NFL doesn’t mean he won’t have significant value as a Dynasty asset. We saw this last year with De’Von Achane and Jahmyr Gibbs. These players are more efficient when touching the football 10-15 times a game rather than 20+ times. They are explosive playmakers and know how to score fantasy points, plain and simple. Love falls into this category of “playmaker” or “athlete”. As long as he lands on an NFL team willing and able to utilize his talents properly, he could become a must-start fantasy asset in the future.
Jeremiyah Love should be a name your Devy league mates are well aware of, but he may be slightly undervalued since he has yet to officially break out and because he’s still multiple years from entering the league. Because of this, you may be able to wait until the 4th or 5th round before drafting Love in the Devy portion of your Superflex startups, but I can’t imagine him falling further than this. In your existing Devy leagues, I would look to trade for Love before the season starts, as his price tag should increase significantly if he gets off to a quick start.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article, and I hope you got some valuable information you can use for your fantasy team! If you’d like additional insight into Dynasty Football news and analysis, please follow me on Twitter at @jim_DFF. Until next time, keep grinding out there, DFF family! #DFFArmy #AlwaysBeBuilding
