Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love finishes third for Heisman Trophy

Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love did everything in his power to make his case for college football’s highest individual honor. But in the end, he fell just short.

Love placed third for the Heisman Trophy, coming in behind Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza and Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia. His 2025 season is the closest a Notre Dame player has gotten to the Heisman since Manti Te’o finished second place in 2012. Love had 46 first-place votes and 157 second-place tallies.

The ending — both for Love individually and Notre Dame as a team — does not take away from the phenomenal season that led the junior from St. Louis to become a Heisman finalist.

Love finished the year with 1,372 rushing yards on 199 carries (6.9 yards per attempt). He also caught 27 passes for 280 yards, giving him 1,652 yards from scrimmage. Love tied Audric Estimé‘s program record for rushing touchdowns in a season with 18 and broke Jerome Bettis‘ record for total touchdowns with 21.

While his numbers were not necessarily Heisman-worthy on their own, Love made it to New York as a finalist by being the most electric player in college football.

A threat to score every time he touched the ball, Love scored touchdowns of 94, 48, 46, 45 and 68 yards in November alone. Whether it was a vicious spin move, a lightning-speed burst through a tiny seam or bouncing off a tackler despite being dragged on top of him, Love put on a show with every jaw-dropping carry.

In his third season in South Bend, Love won the Doak Walker award as college football’s best running back — becoming the first at Notre Dame to do so — and made a compelling case to be named the sport’s most outstanding player.

Love said 2025 was “most likely” his final season at Notre Dame, although he left the door open for returning for a fourth year. When he does leave the Irish, he will almost certainly become a first-round NFL Draft pick and could even be taken in the top 10.

“I think he brings a lot of confidence to everybody in our program,” Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said Friday night on ESPN. “I’m just so proud of him, the football player he’s developed into but more importantly the man he’s become. Now I gotta convince him to come back for one more year.”

Odds are, Love’s days wearing the gold helmet are over. But Irish fans can sleep easy, knowing they watched arguably the greatest running back and one of the greatest players to ever wear a blue-and-gold uniform.