The Surprising Stats That Make Jeremiyah the Dark Horse No. 8 Pick Everyone’s Overlooking

When it comes to evaluating running backs early in the draft, I’ve always been the cautious type—holding back instead of jumping on the hype train. Yet, Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love? Well, he might just be the rare gem who turns that skepticism on its head. Digging into his numbers, it’s clear this guy isn’t your typical backfield runner. With a standout 2025 season boasting 1,372 yards on the ground, 18 rushing touchdowns, and an eye-popping 6.9 yards per carry, his game-breaker potential leaps off the page. But what really gets my attention are his explosive, game-long runs—several hitting 50 yards or more—showing a level of burst that few possess. Sure, critics will point to the quality of opponents and question his consistency against top-tier defenses, but there’s no denying the exciting prospect he could be, especially for a team like the Saints looking to add a dynamic weapon alongside Tyler Shough and Chris Olave. Love might just be the missing ingredient—enough to keep the mock drafts buzzing for a while longer. LEARN MORE

Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love is a great player. Yet if you’ve read our coverage of mock draft predictions, nobody has pumped the breaks on drafting a running back early more than I have.

Jeremiyah Love may be the exception.

Out of curiosity, after going back through Love’s statistics, it became evident that this ball carrier is not your average running back. The Notre Dame ball carrier is different.

You have likely seen the main stats circulating from his 2025 campaign: 199 carries, 1,372 rushing yards, 18 rushing touchdowns and 6.9 yards per carry. What’s more impressive is his explosion.

Below is a look at his longest run in each game of his 2026 season starting with his best games.

Boston College – 94 yards
Syracuse – 68 yards
USC – 63 yards
Pitt – 56 yards
Navy – 48 yards
Purdue – 46 yards
Boise State – 36 yards
NC State – 24 yards
Stanford – 18 yards
Texas A&M – 16 yards
Arkansas – 15 yards
Miami – 8 yards

In summary, in eight of his 12 games, Love took a run for 24 yards or longer. In four of the games, he took a run for 56 yards or more. That’s a lot of long runs.

Critics will point to how Love performed against defenses that reached the College Football Playoff. Certainly, he was not as explosive against Miami and Notre Dame as he was in the rest of his games. Against Miami, Love opened the season with 10 carries for 33 yards. The following week he posted 23 carries for 94 yards.

Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love (4) celebrates after getting a first down in the first half of a NCAA football game against Southern California at Notre Dame Stadium. <br>MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images — Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love (4) celebrates after getting a first down in the first half of a NCAA football game against Southern California at Notre Dame Stadium.
MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Some would contend playing against lesser defenses inflated his stats. Love took 19 carries for 157 yards against Purdue, 16 carries for 103 yards against Boise State, 24 carries for 228 yards against USC, 17 carries for 136 yards against Boston College, 13 carries for 94 yards against Navy, 23 carries for 147 yards against Pitt and eight carries for 171 yards against Syracuse.

Certainly, those numbers inflated his totals, and the 94-yard carry against Boston College makes his 136-yard game somewhat misleading at first glance. But Pitt and USC were still fringe playoff contenders and the slate of opponents still had quality opposition despite not carrying the same level of talent that Miami and Texas A&M possess.

Whether or not Love would bring the same level of home run threat to the Saints is up for debate. The Buccaneers, Panthers and Falcons will all have better run defenses than Miami and Texas A&M had. Yet the Saints will certainly have a better quarterback and passing game than Notre Dame had in 2025.

Suffice it to say, it is more than possible that Love could be the right complement to New Orleans quarterback Tyler Shough and wide receiver Chris Olave. And there’s nothing safer offensively than being able to rely on the running game enough to get chunk yardage.

Look for Love and the Saints to continue to be linked through the mock draft process.