Jeremiyah Darnell Love, born May 31, 2005, in University City, Missouri, is a junior running back for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish college football team.[1][4][7] A consensus four-star recruit from Christian Brothers College High School in St. Louis, he led his team to back-to-back Missouri state championships in 2021 and 2022, rushing for over 1,200 yards and 20+ touchdowns as a senior while earning Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year, MaxPreps Player of the Year, and Under Armour All-American honors.[2][3][4][5] Love also excelled in track, winning a state title in the 100-meter dash (10.76 seconds) as a sophomore.[1][2][3] At Notre Dame, Love debuted in 2023, appearing in all 13 games with 385 rushing yards (5.4 yards per carry), one rushing touchdown, eight receptions for 77 yards and a score, plus 504 all-purpose yards.[1][2][3] In 2024, he started all 16 games during Notre Dame's national championship season, amassing over 1,000 rushing yards, 16 rushing touchdowns, 24 receptions, and roughly 1,400 all-purpose yards with 19 total scores, including a record-setting 98-yard touchdown in the College Football Playoff opener against Indiana—the longest in CFP history.[2][3][4] Despite a late knee injury, he scored in every game, setting a program mark.[2] His 2025 season was historic: starting all 12 games, Love rushed for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns (tying the school record), added 27 receptions for 280 yards and three scores, and broke Notre Dame's single-season total touchdown record with 21.[1][3] He became the first Fighting Irish player with two 90-yard rushing touchdowns in a career, earned unanimous All-American and Consensus All-American honors, and won the Doak Walker Award as the nation's top running back—the first in program history—plus Disney's Wide World of Sports Spirit Award.[1][3] A Heisman Trophy finalist, he also finished as a finalist for the Maxwell, Walter Camp, and other awards, despite Notre Dame's controversial playoff exclusion after a 10-2 season.[1] At 6'0" and 206-214 pounds, Love is projected as a top 2026 NFL Draft prospect, potentially the first Notre Dame running back taken in the first round since Jerome Bettis in 1993, praised for elite speed, breakaway ability (97th percentile), receiving skills, and ball security (one fumble in 433 carries).[2][6][8] Off the field, he founded the 4Love Foundation and won the Watkins Award.[5]