Jeremiyah Love recalls why he chose Notre Dame over Alabama, Nick Saban

Notre Dame junior running back Jeremiyah Love is one of the most prolific players in all of college football. Love, who has already enshrined himself as a Fighting Irish legend, however, could have gone down a completely different career path.

The St. Louis, MO native was recruited heavily by Alabama and Nick Saban in his final recruiting cycle. Love decided that Marcus Freeman‘s Notre Dame program was a better fit for him and his needs, though, and the rest is history. With the running back on their roster, the Irish are 31-7 with an appearance in the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship Game over the past three seasons.

Ahead of Saturday’s clash between No. 9 Notre Dame and No. 22 Pittsburgh, Love joined ‘The Triple Option‘ podcast. There, he revealed why he didn’t take his talents to T-Town in Tuscaloosa.

“I liked Alabama when I went there,” Love said. “I had a great visit and I liked all the coaches. And I love coached Saban. I got to sit down and talk with him over some food. He was a great coach and is a great person in general, too, from my first experience too. But Alabama just wasn’t the place for me, even though they had a great coaching staff. The town I thought was really cool, great place to be. Just wasn’t for me. Notre Dame was a better choice for me, but I did like their coaching staff and I did like coach Saban.”

In his three seasons in the Notre Dame backfield, Love boasts 2,498 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns. His yardage ranks eighth in program history, while his 31 touchdowns rank fifth in program history. His defining moment will always be his 98-yard rushing touchdown in the Irish’s win over Indiana in the College Football Playoff last season.

Love’s team started the season slowly, as it dropped back-to-back games to No. 10 Miami and No. 16 Texas A&M. With Notre Dame sitting at 0-2, the odds were extremely low that it would put itself back into position to return to the College Football Playoff. The Irish, however, have done just that, rattling off seven consecutive wins to get to a 7-2 record. If it can win its final three games against No. 22 Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and Stanford, the program will likely make its second consecutive appearance in the CFP.

This season, Love boasts 988 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns. He will once again be a major factor in Notre Dame‘s hunt for its first National Championship since 1988.