Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM NOV. 22, 2025 15 And recently, others have come around to that idea as well. After Week 11, Love ranked seventh in On3's Heisman Trophy poll. He was second among non-quarterbacks, be- hind only Ohio State wide receiver Jer- emiah Smith. While Love is unlikely to actually win the award — in part due to Notre Dame's schedule, which does not provide many opportunities for a "Heisman moment" on a national stage — a trip to New York as a finalist looks increasingly possible. "There is no question about it," Free- man said. "You talk about one of the best players in the country; if he's not one of them, then, you know, it's hard to believe how many other players are that special." BEYOND THE NUMBERS Love's stats are outstanding, but not necessarily Heisman-worthy on their own. Through Week 11, he was third na- tionally in yards from scrimmage with 1,242, averaging 7.0 yards per touch, and was tied for first in total touchdowns with 16. For reference, Boise State's Ashton Jeanty finished second for the Heisman last season with 2,739 yards from scrimmage and 30 touchdowns. There's some context necessary, though: Jeanty did not have to split carries with another star running back in Jadarian Price, and Love's yards per touch is actually higher (Jeanty had 6.9). Jeanty also had the misfortune of rac- ing against Travis Hunter, an extremely rare true two-way superstar. There is no such unicorn in the 2025 sweepstakes. Love's case, though, lies less in the numbers and more in the impossible- to-quantify impact he makes on Notre Dame's offense. "He's as special of a football player as I've been around," Freeman said. "Every time he has the ball in his hands, he can make something positive happen. He is as dangerous of an offensive weapon that I've probably been around." As someone who can take it all the way at any moment — and from any position on the field — Love puts an incredible amount of stress on opposing defenses. Few know that better than junior linebacker Drayk Bowen, who has lined up across from him in practice for two years. "It really stresses your technique, stresses that you're doing everything exactly the right way," Bowen said. "Ev- erybody's staying in their gap. Nobody's jumping out because as soon as he finds a crease, he's going to hit it. So, it helps us to make sure that we're doing every- thing that we're supposed to be doing exactly how we're supposed to be doing it because, if not, he's going to expose it." Love will also line up anywhere and run any route, which stresses defenses to know where he is at all times and ac- count for him in the passing game. He makes it nearly impossible to play man coverage when he's in the slot or split out wide, because linebackers can't cover him. When he gets the ball in his hands, though, his physical ability and in- stincts take over. "The biggest thing is his start-stop ability," Bowen said. "He could stop on a dime and cut back and you can't really do anything about it. So with him, you have to take perfect angles, be in the perfect spot, and if you're not, you're going to be making an awkward tackle or he's just going to make you miss and win with speed or cut back on you." Perhaps the best indicator of Love's impact is the way defenses treat him. In recent weeks, Navy and Boston Col- lege have made themselves vulnerable to getting beat over the top, stacking the box and playing zero coverage. That opens up opportunities for red- shirt freshman quarterback CJ Carr and Notre Dame's wide receivers, all be- cause defenses are terrified of Love. "I would like to think that's just re- spect," Love said. "I mean, if we catch you slipping, whether it's space or not, we can hurt you." NOT THE PRIORITY Love sees some of his Heisman buzz, and he doesn't mind it. It's easy for him, he explained, to block out the noise and appreciate the praise. "I don't really care too much about anything, really," Love said. "I mean, outside of Notre Dame, what's going on internally. But obviously when you see good things being said about you, it feels good to be able to read that stuff." As both Love and Freeman put it, a trip to New York would be a welcome reward for everything the superstar running back has accomplished in his Notre Dame career — a career that, bar- ring something unexpected, will end in December or January. Love is a pro- jected first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. But individual glory, as Freeman would say, is not the priority. "I don't want to make decisions to influence the people who vote for Heis- man," Freeman said. "It's a huge honor, and somebody's going to win it. But I think Jeremiyah Love would be the first to tell you that winning a game is way more important than that individual award." Love agrees. And he credited his Heisman buzz, as Freeman tends to do when asked about his individual hon- ors, to the success of the program as a whole. And he's right; if the Irish hadn't won seven games in a row after starting 0-2, Love's name wouldn't pop up in those discussions. "At the end of the day, it's a team sport," Love said. "And the perfor- mances that I go out there and have are not really just because of me. It's be- cause of the whole team that's playing complementary football." Love has two more chances to con- vince voters after the game against Pittsburgh Nov. 15, both against lack- luster defenses. It's also worth noting that he was at his best in November a year ago, before he suffered a knee in- jury in Notre Dame's final regular-sea- son game. With opportunities in a blue-and- gold uniform dwindling, expect Love to put on a show. ✦ "He's as special of a football player as I've been around. Every time he has the ball in his hands, he can make something posi- tive happen. He is as dangerous of an offensive weapon that I've probably been around." IRISH HEAD COACH MARCUS FREEMAN ON LOVE