Newsstand: Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love lands at No. 2 overall on Mel Kiper's debut big board

ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper’s initial top-25 big board and positional rankings are out, and junior Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love is No. 2 overall behind only Oregon quarterback Dante Moore.
Love has 530 rushing yards, 160 receiving yards and 11 total touchdowns halfway through his junior season, which will almost certainly be his final year in a blue-and-gold uniform.
“Love reminds me a lot of Reggie Bush,” Kiper wrote. “The 20-year-old has vision and burst between the tackles and to the outside, and he can break tackles with ease (29 forced missed tackles on the season). Once he gets into space, he can take it to the house with his breakaway speed too.
“But Love isn’t only an outstanding runner. He also is a high-impact pass catcher. An NFL team will be able to flank him out wide and create a whole other dimension of the offense.”
Top 10
- 1Breaking
Schrauth injury
Notre Dame guard Billy Schrauth to miss multiple weeks with knee injury
- 2Hot
Behind The Ballot
As Notre Dame and Marcus Freeman ascend, Brian Kelly smolders
- 3
Media reaction
What they’re saying about Notre Dame’s 34-24 win against USC
- 4
Report Card
Grading Notre Dame football in 34-24 Irish victory over USC
- 5
Riley talks ND loss
Everything USC coach Lincoln Riley said after losing to Notre Dame football
Get the Daily On3 Newsletter in your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
Additionally, three other Fighting Irish made Kiper’s positional rankings. Redshirt junior Jadarian Price is Kiper’s No. 3 running back, senior tight end Eli Raridon is his No. 5 tight end and redshirt sophomore Boubacar Traore is his No. 8 outside linebacker.
Notre Dame Tweets of the day
Light up Grace Hall.
Imagine losing this rivalry.
No one is surprised.
Quote of the day
“If that means moving Leonard Moore, we’ll move Leonard Moore there. We have to make sure we have a great plan. But we can’t be insane, either. [If] you want to play zone, [Lemon] will find a way to find open space. They’ll attack you. If you want to get on-body — what we call it — he can run by you. He can make you miss. He’s quick. He’s fast. He’s got great ball skills.
“There’s not a simple answer or solution to defending him. What you can’t do is let him beat you. He is one of the most talented players you’ll see. He is a huge part of their offense. You’ve got to make sure you have a plan to try to not let that one person beat you. But when you do that, you’re going to open up some deficiencies in some other areas. So, we’ve just got to do a good job of mixing it up, making sure pre-snap that [they] can’t just identify we’re in zone or man just by pre-snap alone.”
— Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman on defending star USC wide receiver Makai Lemon
Headlines of the day
- Notre Dame commit tracker: D-line recruits combine for 18 tackles for loss & 7 sacks Week 8
- Change for a nickel? Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame ponder their pass-defense options vs. USC
- On Paper: Who has the edge in every facet of USC vs. Notre Dame football?
- Scoop: Five-star flip target visiting Fighting Irish for the USC game
- Six questions with former Notre Dame safety Tom Zbikowski
- Notre Dame football: Three things to know about 20th-ranked USC
- Point/Counterpoint: What’s the most impressive element of Notre Dame’s offense?
- Elite 2028 DL Kellan Hall lands Fighting Irish offer, raves about visit
- Markus Burton named to Preseason All-ACC First Team; Notre Dame picked 10th
- Week 7 transfer tracker: Two former Notre Dame OL succeeding at center with new teams
- Notre Dame women’s basketball ranked No. 15, Hannah Hidalgo named ACC Preseason Player of the Year
- Lucky Charms: Predicting a Notre Dame legacy to commit to the Fighting Irish
- Fighting Irish in the NFL: Michael Mayer scores first TD since rookie year
- Elite WR Monshun Sales to visit Michigan and Notre Dame in the same day
- Intel heading into a five-star recruiting weekend at Notre Dame for USC game