The time of year when college players declare for the NFL Draft is now in full swing. We’ve already seen the decision of wide receiver Makai Lemon, and now the announcement of an even bigger prospect has just been made.
Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love officially announced his decision to enter the 2026 NFL Draft, which will take place this upcoming April. Love, 20, announced his decision on Tuesday via an Instagram post.
In his sophomore season at Notre Dame, Love ran 163 carries for 1,125 yards and 17 touchdowns. He also managed to muster 6.9 yards per attempt, which makes his production all the more impressive. Love’s performance helped Notre Dame secure a spot in the National Championship, which the Irish ultimately lost to the Ohio State Buckeyes by a final score of 34–23.
It is an understatement to say that Love came back with vengeance in 2025, as his junior campaign was even better than the year prior. He saw 199 carries for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns, all while maintaining that 6.9 yards per attempt. A season so good, Love managed to finish this in Heisman Trophy voting, only behind a pair of quarterbacks in Fernando Mendoza (Indiana) and Diego Pavia (Vanderbilt). However, Notre Dame ultimately missed out on the College Football Playoff.
Players like this don’t come around that often, so that leaves us with a massive question.
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Should the Cardinals select Jeremiyah Love with their first-round draft pick?
This would not be a bad pick by any means, as Arizona is searching for a true No. 1 running back. Sure, James Conner has sufficed over the past couple of seasons, but his contract is set to expire after 2026.
On top of that, the Cardinals have seen three of their running backs hit season-ending injured reserve (James Conner, Trey Benson, and Bam Knight). The team is relying on a committee of backs to get them through the final three games of the season in Emari Demercado, Michael Carter, and Corey Kiner, if they must.
This is a position group that needs a makeover this offseason, and you couldn’t ask for a better start by taking Jeremiyah Love.
While teams are often criticized and ridiculed for taking running backs in the top ten of the draft, we believe that taking a young running back in Jeremiyah Love is better than signing a top back in free agency.
It will be interesting to see what Ossenfort’s plans are going to be regarding the draft process.