Jeremiyah Love

Jeremiyah Love is a professional NFL running back for the Arizona Cardinals. Love played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, winning the Doak Walker Award before being selected third overall by the Cardinals in the NFL Draft. His selection marked the earliest running back drafted since Saquon Barkley and tied him with Trent Richardson for the fourth-earliest running back selection in the 21st century. As the No. 3 pick, Love signed a four-year, $50.5 million contract, positioning him among the highest-paid running backs in terms of average annual value and guaranteed money.

Love's rise in the NFL Draft was built on a strong college career at Notre Dame. As a two-year starter, he led the Football Bowl Subdivision with 40 touchdowns over his final two seasons, averaged 6.9 yards per carry, and broke out in his first starting year with 1,125 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns on 163 carries in 16 games. He helped Notre Dame reach the College Football Playoff National Championship Game against Ohio State, highlighted by a 98-yard touchdown run in the first round against Indiana. In his final season, Love rushed for a career-high 228 yards against USC, the most by a Fighting Irish player at Notre Dame Stadium, and became the first player in program history to record two 90-yard rushing touchdowns in a career. He was named a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, the Maxwell Award, the Walter Camp Award, and the Capital One Orange Bowl-FWAA Courage Award, ultimately winning the Doak Walker Award and earning unanimous All-American honors before declaring for the NFL Draft.

Before his football career, Love was a multi-sport athlete at Christian Brothers College High School in St. Louis, competing in football, basketball, and track and field. He won a Missouri state championship in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.76 seconds as a sophomore. Love's speed and athleticism have translated to the football field, where he is recognized for his ability to break long runs and maintain balance through contact. He averaged 6.9 yards per carry in each of his two seasons as the lead back and led his draft class with 4.2 yards after contact per rush.

With a relatively low college workload of 499 touches in three seasons, Love enters his professional career with significant potential for longevity. Alongside Trey McBride at tight end and Marvin Harrison Jr. at wide receiver, Love contributes to a dynamic group of skill position players for the Arizona Cardinals. Upon his selection, Love stated his intention to set a new standard for running backs and represent Arizona at the highest level.