Greg McElroy defends his ranking of Jeremiyah Love on Top 10 college football running back list

Notre Dame was able to make a deep run in the College Football Playoff last season, before falling in the championship game. Now, on the back of one of the best running backs in the country, Jeremiyah Love, the Irish are looking to win it all in 2025.

College football analyst Greg McElroy more than likes Love. He loves the Notre Dame running back. In fact, he has him ranked as the best running back in the country on his Top 10 college football running backs list, a decision he explained on Always College Football.

“The best running back in college football should come really as no surprise to anyone who’s watched any of the games I’ve called,” McElroy said. “And, a handful of those games have happened to involve this young man’s team. You can tell that I love this kid. It’s Jeremiyah Love at Notre Dame.”

In the regular season finale against rival USC, Love suffered a knee injury that would hamper him throughout the College Football Playoff. However, it didn’t seem to slow him down.

“He’s gotten tons of attention already. When you look at Jeremiyah Love,” McElroy said. “I think the thing I’m most impressed with when it comes to Love, is that really throughout the last four or five games of the year, he wasn’t at 100 percent. He was a guy that was battling a knee injury, was wearing a knee brace, and would take it off because the knee brace was uncomfortable but he just refused to come out of the game. There were times when we thought he’d be limited and he played. There were times when we thought he’d look a little slower than he might have in the regular season, and he got faster.”

It was in the Playoff that Love stamped his name nationally. First, he flashed his speed with a 98-yard touchdown run against Indiana. Later, in the semifinal against Penn State, he flashed his strength, running through essentially the entire defense for one of the best one-yard runs there’s ever been.

“There were so many times this year when he defied my expectations,” McElroy said. “And I think there is no better example of what Jeremiyah Love is capable of than that one-yard touchdown run in which he would not be denied under any circumstances against Penn State. Where it looked like he was going to be stopped three or four different times behind the line of scrimmage, and he kept churning and he kept churning, and eventually put his arms out over the goalline to score the touchdown against about four Nittany Lion defenders. That is an example of what Jeremiyah Love is capable of. Not only the tough yardage that he showcased there, but the outstanding speed against Indiana. Indiana, he goes for a 98-yard touchdown to the left-hand side.”

Even while battling the injury late in the season, Love had a massive year. In 16 games, he rushed for 1,125 yards and 17 touchdowns. That was on a massive 6.9 yards per carry. He also had 28 receptions for 237 yards and another two touchdowns during that fantastic season.

“If you look at where things are, if not for Ashton Jeanty last year, from a numbers standpoint, I think Jeremiyah Love is well-positioned last year to challenge for Heisman Trophy consideration. If you look at what he did from start to finish,” McElroy said. “Whether it was against [Texas] A&M… over 100 yards against Purdue, Navy, Virginia, and Army. You look at the performance against Indiana… very few guys are a threat for a huge play as much as Jeremiyah Love. He had nine touchdowns of more than 20 yards. Eight of those touchdowns went for over 30 yards. He had touchdown runs of 98, 76, 68, and 64 this past season. All of that combining to account for nearly seven yards per carry.”

Love isn’t alone in the Notre Dame backfield either. Alongside Jadarian Price, who McElroy left just off his Top 10 list, the Irish have a two-headed monster. That’s going to be a tandem they rely on with a new quarterback coming to South Bend.

“Jeremiyah Love, he can beat you in the air, he can beat you on the ground. He’s going to get after you in pass protection. He can hit the big play, and he can also churn out the tough yardage. He is a five-tool player in every possible way,” McElroy said. “And he is the best back in the country coming into the ’25 season.”

Notre Dame will open the season on August 31st against the Miami Hurricanes. Getting Jeremiyah Love ready for that is going to be vital to the Irish as they look to make it back to the College Football Playoff.