Notre Dame Running Back Jeremiyah Love 'Motivated' For Next Step
Saturday won’t be the first time Jeremiyah Love steps onto the field at College Station. That’s because his recruitment came down to two teams — Notre Dame and Texas A&M.
And not that he needed the extra motivation, but heading into College Station, Love has all the motivation in the world.
“I haven’t seen Jeremiyah this motivated to play since 11th grade,” Jason Love, Jeremiah’s father told Irish Sports Daily this week.
“At this level, I have never seen him this excited to show what he can do. I feel for the other teams because he is going to make his name known.”
The new Aggies staff - like Notre Dame fans - may not be ready for Jeremiyah Love in Year 2.
“They know him, but they don’t really know him,” Jason said. “He’s bigger, he’s stronger, he’s faster and he’s smarter. They don’t know what he is yet.”
What led him to making a home in South Bend? The love he received from the Irish faithful.
“The fans at Notre Dame accepted Jeremiyah. The fans motivated him to make that decision,” Jason said. “Once he walked through the tunnel, they would be screaming his name, trying to take pictures with him, signing autographs as a high school student. Student section is off the charts.
“He’s blossomed. At first it was like, ‘I miss home, I want to come home.’ Now he’s laughing all the time, talking more with friends, teammates and fellow students. I’m totally shocked and happy he has accepted the Notre Dame lore. He’s at home.”
That comfortability Love has found at Notre Dame has allowed him to take the next step physically.
The St. Louis native added about 20 pounds of muscle to get up to 210 this offseason, which will certainly make the St. Louis native even more difficult to bring down.
“Jeremiyah has been great from day one,” offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock said. “The offseason work that he put in to add muscle and put himself in a position where he can be an every down back. The work he’s done tirelessly on the practice field to improve his game and his knowledge of the game.
“When we put him in spots to make plays he makes them.”
Love’s freshman campaign only provided a taste of what he could do on the field at the collegiate level.
“It was really important to me, coming out as a young guy and then playing against guys I used to watch,” Love said. “Just being able to perform and take what I did in high school and do it a little bit on the college level.”
Now, Love is set to be the premier back for the Irish, something he believes he is fully ready for.
“I’m fast, twitchy, I run hard,” Love said. “Last season, I was kind of underweight. People didn’t think I was a hard runner, or I wouldn’t hit the hole hard. Obviously, I'm a hard runner. I'm twitchy, I'm fast and it all comes natural.”
But there is a wrinkle to his game that makes him all the more dangerous — his ability to line up outside as a receiver.
“He’s a number one receiver and he’s a number one running back,” Jason said. “He can play either position at the highest level. I'm expecting him to dominate Texas A&M. I don’t think they are prepared for him.”
Love and many others in South Bend have referred to him as a perfectionist and - with the high hopes that Notre Dame has in 2024 - he may need to be perfect or at least close to it.
“It kind of comes with being ‘D3’ detailed, dependable and disciplined,” Love said. “As long as you know what you have to do and you perfect your craft, and just do it every single day over time, you know you are going to create explosive plays.”
Irish running backs coach Deland McCullough saw the dedication this offseason as well.
“He devoted himself to putting on the right type of weight to do what he needs to do at this position,” said McCullough. “Jeremiyah is a perfectionist.”
With high hopes come expectations. Love has those same expectations for himself and the Irish.
“Jeremiyah said he wants to win the national championship,” Love said. “He thinks the team is the best team he has played for since high school. He thinks he can go all the way.”
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