Notre Dame Signs "Unique" Talent In 2023 RB Jeremiyah Love

At various points throughout the 2023 recruiting cycle, Notre Dame received commitments from four different running backs.

And although the Irish only ended up signing one on Wednesday, Jeremiyah Love‍ was the one they needed.

“100 percent,” one source close to the situation told Irish Sports Daily. “He was the ‘must get’ of all the dudes we were on because he can do everything - speed, power, elusive, routes, return skill, (change of direction).”

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman echoed those sentiments during his National Signing Day press conference.

“He's an extremely talented guy that does multiple different things,” Freeman said. “We wanted to address overall speed and he's a track kid that obviously, runs track but also does a lot of the jumps. And he plays multiple positions on both sides of the ball.”

Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees called that versatility “critical” during his turn at the podium on Wednesday.

“Some of the decisions you have to make throughout recruiting are about your current roster,” said Rees. “Now - with the portal - more than ever, you’re kind of in a guessing game about your roster. For us, Jeremiyah is a huge priority. There’s a lot he can do.

“We have a really good running back room right now, but that doesn’t mean Jeremiyah can’t play early because you look at a guy who can help you in other aspects of the game. He has a trait that Coach Freeman talked about and that’s speed. That’s something we were very eager to add. He has shown the ability to play outside and from the backfield.”

Freeman and Rees are confident in the 6-foot-1, 195-pounder’s versatility based on the way Christian Brothers College High School head coach Scott Pingel used him.

“Obviously, we're looking at him at the running back position, but he can do multiple things well,” said Freeman. “He just brings a unique talent to our offensive side of the ball. He comes from, obviously, a great high school program in CBC there in St. Louis.”

“Coach Pingel and his staff down at CBC do a great job offensively,” Rees added. “They move him around, they do things to put him in a position to have success. Jeremiyah was somebody who was critical to this class because of the speed, because of the versatility, because we felt like he was the right kid to come in the room and knows how to compete and work hard.”

One thing we were told – and learned  – about Love throughout the recruiting process is that he is a unique kid.

Freeman offered that up unprompted on Wednesday.

“He's a unique individual,” the head coach chuckled. “That's the one thing about Jeremiyah Love, he's very unique, great set of parents and he's going to be a huge asset to this program.”

And even though he was the only back the Irish held onto in the end, he was always the most valued target.

“He was the toughest get,” one source said. “But he will be the best.”

Multiple sources have told ISD that Deland McCullough was one of the biggest factors in Love’s ultimate decision.

Now, the challenge of making sure Love becomes the best is one that will fall to him and it’s one we believe the Irish running backs coach is eager to accept.

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