Jeremiyah Love reveals Marcus Freeman's message to team after Notre Dame's CFP snub

Jeremiyah Love thought he had another chance at winning a national title at Notre Dame on the horizon. The Fighting Irish lost their first two games, but won ten in a row this past season to close their campaign. It wasn’t enough to get them into the College Football Playoff.

Their reaction since has been highly publicized. A ton of discourse has surrounded their decision to decline an invite to play in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. The only opinions that matter to Love are his teammates’ though.

The Fighting Irish star spoke about Marcus Freeman’s message to the team following the matter on Saturday. Love is preparing for the Heisman Trophy ceremony, but he’d rather be preparing for the First Round of the CFP.

“I would say the ultimate message from Coach Freeman since the result of the Committee’s decision and just the whole thing in general, I feel like Coach Freeman’s message was just to really get back to work. Something that we had no control over happened. We were hoping for the best. It didn’t happen. So, time to get back to work,” Love stated via SportsCenter.

“We’re not going to dwell on the past too long. Feel the pain. Keep it with us. But at the end of the day, we’ve got to move forward and get ready for the next opportunity. That was kind of Coach Freeman’s message after that.”

Regardless, Notre Dame had a heck of a season, and in many other seasons, they would’ve been a shoo-in for the Playoff. It didn’t work out in 2025, and now they’re focused on building towards next season, with or without their star runner.

More on Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame

As Love prepares for the Heisman Ceremony, the awards are already rolling in for the junior ball-carrier. He was named the 2025 recipient of the Doak Walker Award as college football’s top running back during Friday night’s Home Depot College Football Awards show on ESPN.

Love beat out other Doak Walker finalists in Missouri‘s Ahmad Hardy and Ole Miss‘ Kewan Lacy. He’s the first Notre Dame player to win the Doak Walker Award, which has a strong history of elite running backs.

“It’s a great honor, being the first to do it,” Love said via ESPN. “I feel like there’s a lot of weight that comes with that.

“I’m setting the standard for running backs here at Notre Dame, and I’m just hoping the next guys that come after me can set a higher standard than I did. But it’s a huge honor to be the first to win the Doak Walker Award at Notre Dame.”

Love ranks third in the FBS with 18 rushing touchdowns and ranks fourth with 1,372 rushing yards while working alongside fellow Fighting Irish backfield mate Jadarian Price. Love was also a key factor in the pass game, racking up 280 yards on 27 receptions and three scores through the air this season.

— On3’s Alex Byington contributed to this article.