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With the 2025 college football season nearing, everyone is wondering who the best teams will be. Texas and Penn State appear to be No. 1 and No. 2 on many lists, with Clemson slightly behind. Rounding out the top five is usually Ohio State and Notre Dame, although Georgia is considered a better team than the Fighting Irish in many analysts' eyes. Ohio State and Notre Dame get the benefit of the doubt for now, considering they made the National Championship last season.
In that game, the Buckeyes showed their immense range of talent, dominating through the ground, air and on defense. What really disrupted Notre Dame was their lack of any running game. In the semifinals, Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love gained thousands of new fans thanks to a highlight reel play where he shrugged off five tacklers and scored a crucial fourth quarter touchdown. But in the championship game, he was an afterthought. He only got four carries, as Notre Dame fell behind and abandoned the run game.
Love's talent didn't shine through in that game, but some of his performances last season had many wondering just how good he is. While ranking the top backfields in the country, CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli has come out with a bold statement regarding Love and last year's Heisman runner-up, Ashton Jeanty.
Is Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love just as talented as Ashton Jeanty?
According to Fornelli, Love is the best running back in the nation. He felt that way about him last season, even when Jeanty was still in college. He certainly still feels that way now, but the one thing standing in his way from letting him shine is how Notre Dame splits the running back workload.
He wasn't the same workhorse in the Notre Dame offense because he didn't have to be, but it's his skill and talent that excite me so much. The reason Love doesn't need to be a workhorse is because the Irish have Jadarian Price, who rushed for 746 yards and seven touchdowns last season. They also share the load with Aneyas Williams and Kedren Young, who both impressed as freshmen last season. It's a deep and talented room. The room may be too deep to allow Love to garner serious Heisman consideration, but I still won't rule it out.
Love was flat-out dominant with his touches in 2024. He averaged 6.9 yards per carry, accumulating 1,362 total yards and 19 touchdowns on just 191 touches. The problem was that, as Fornelli mentions, Jadarian Price and Aneyas Williams also averaged over 6.2 yards per carry. Even freshman Kedren Young flashed with his touches.
The depth Notre Dame has at running back will keep Love from getting a Jeanty type of workload in 2025, but that doesn't mean he can't be as effective with his touches. If he were to dominate the backfield touches, then we could be in line for a Heisman type of season from Love. The 6-0, 212 pound running back certainly has the frame to carry more of a load.