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

IMG_7504by: Jack Soble10/15/25jacksoble56
love
Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love. (Mike Miller, Blue & Gold)

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.”

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.

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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

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