Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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8 FEBRUARY 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME UNDER THE DOME Jeremiyah Love wasn't trying to be dis- respectful when he was asked about the Sun Bowl opt-out and early departure to the NFL Draft of Irish junior tailback Au- dric Estimé. But in a case of seizing an opportunity, Love — a freshman tailback — viewed Estimé's absence from the Sun Bowl as his personal chance to showcase exactly what kind of player he is and can be. In limited action during the regular season, Love still finished second on the Irish with 56 carries for 346 yards (6.2 per carry) and 1 touchdown. During Sun Bowl prep, the St. Louis native earned his first career start against Oregon State in El Paso, Texas, with a chance to make an early case to become RB1 in 2024. Blue & Gold Illustrated and other local media caught up with Love shortly before the Sun Bowl and asked him about his first season at Notre Dame, and what lies ahead. BGI: What does having Estimé leave a year early mean to the running backs room? Love: "For all the backs, we were behind Audric, and he was our leader. And with him gone, I think it gives all of us a great chance to really show what we all can bring to the table and what we all can do with more carries and more playing time." BGI: What did you learn from working behind Estimé? Love: "I've always been a hard worker but Au- dric, he goes above and beyond. He's working out when nobody else is working out. He's doing all the things that really nobody else was do- ing. And I learned that if I want to be the best, I have to do more." BGI: How hard was it to stay patient playing behind such a great tailback? Love: "I'm a freshman, and I just kind of wanted to sit back this season and learn from him and from everybody else. I wasn't trying to rush into anything, just trying to develop so that I could become a better player. I wasn't looking to get a lot of carries, but I got a few, and I did my best with those." BGI: How would you describe your evo- lution this season? Love: "I think it went great. I just took my time with it. I came in here with an open mind, ready to be coached, to accept coaching and to learn from my superiors. And now at the end of the season, I'm a lot better than I was when I first arrived." BGI: How would you describe your first season at Notre Dame? Love: "It's been great. I've really enjoyed my time here. I love all the coaches, and the community here is great. The camara- derie between teammates is great. "I don't think there is any other place that has a culture like Notre Dame, and that's one of the reasons I chose to come here. This is a special place. The people really care about you." — Todd D. Burlage Five Questions With … NOTRE DAME FRESHMAN TAILBACK JEREMIYAH LOVE Kris Mitchell Is Exactly What Notre Dame Needed By Jack Soble If you could have built a transfer addition in a lab, it would have looked a whole lot like former Florida International wide receiver Kris Mitchell. Notre Dame needed an outside receiver who can win with speed like it needed air to breathe. Incoming fresh- man Cam Williams can be that guy at some point in his career, and perhaps very early, but completely counting on him in Year 1 would be a mistake. The Irish knew that, so they went out and got Mitchell. He checks every box they looked for in a vertical deep threat: speed, ability to win with his release off the line of scrimmage and productivity. Mitchell is coming off a 1,118-yard season in which his Pro Football Focus receiving grade on deep balls (passes that travel 20 yards or more downfield) was 99.5. That'll work. This past season, the biggest problem with Notre Dame's offense was that it didn't have someone like Mitchell. It had a few dangerous slot threats in senior Chris Tyree and freshmen Jaden Greathouse and Jordan Faison, two of whom return in 2024. It had reliable possession targets in junior Jayden Thomas (al- though he was never healthy) and freshman Rico Flores Jr., a portal departure whom the Irish replaced with lengthy Clemson transfer Beaux Collins. The Irish just didn't threaten defenses vertically like it needed to in order to succeed against top teams. Having someone who can do that softens the opposing secondary and makes everything else easier. Mitchell is that guy. He's a key to Notre Dame's offense in 2024. Rush End Importance Makes It RJ Oben By Todd D. Burlage It's no secret that the Notre Dame wide receiver room fell into flux this offseason with the position coach out the door and a couple of rotational regulars transferring elsewhere. But with some of the young guns returning in 2024, panic over the Irish wideouts became overblown. It's the defensive strong-side end — arguably the most important defensive position on the field — that is of greater concern. Graduate student Javontae Jean-Baptiste is gone after finishing the 2023 regular season tied for fourth on the Irish with 47 tackles, while also leading the team with 9.5 tackles for loss, 4 sacks and 10 quarterback hurries. Void of much returning experience or production behind Jean-Baptiste, snag- ging graduate transfer RJ Oben out of the portal from Duke to plug-and-play in 2024 was a great get. At 6-foot-4 and 260 pounds, Oben brings a similar size and skill set to the position that Jean-Baptiste did, with equal promise. Slowed some during his five seasons at Duke because of injury, Oben still has 67 career stops, 20 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks with 5 forced fumbles and 1 interception, all better numbers than what Jean-Baptiste brought to Notre Dame from Ohio State. As my colleague Jack Soble rightfully notes, graduate wide receiver Kris Mitchell is a great portal addition for Notre Dame. But the needs at receiver aren't nearly as severe as they are at rush end, leaving Oben as the most impactful Irish portal player this offseason. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WHO IS NOTRE DAME'S MOST VALUABLE TRANSFER ADDITION OTHER THAN RILEY LEONARD? Love was Notre Dame's second-leading rusher during the regular season, compiling 346 yards and 1 touchdown while averaging 6.2 yard per carry. PHOTO BY MARCELL GORDON Mitchell Oben