Jeremiyah Love shattered records, etching his name in Notre Dame history by securing the prestigious Doak Walker Award with a historic season.
Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love was the nation's best running back in 2025 and how he's been honored for that. Love becomes the first running back in Notre Dame history to win the prestigious Doak Walker Award, which goes annually to the nation's best running back.
Love had a truly historic season for the Fighting Irish. The St. Louis native finished his junior season with 1,372 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns while averaging 6.9 yards per carry. He also finished the 2025 campaign with 27 catches for 280 yards and three more touchdowns. Love's 1,372 rushing yards ranked fourth in all of college football, his 18 rushing touchdowns ranked second in the country and his 6.9 yards per carry was the second most of any back with at least 150 carries. Love finished the season with 1,652 yards from scrimmage, which also ranked third nationally and it was the third best single-season mark in Notre Dame history.
His 1,372 rushing yards was the fourth best single-season mark in Notre Dame history. Love had just 199 carries, which is at least 53 fewer than the backs who rank above him in the single-season list. His 18 rushing touchdowns tied the previous school record that was set by Audric Estime, who also rushed for 18 scores back in 2023. Love's 21 total touchdowns ranks 2nd in the country and set a new Notre Dame program record.
Over the last two seasons, Love rushed for at least 100 yards in 11 different games. In 2025, Love rushed for at least 20 yards on a carry 11 times, matching the mark he had in 2024. Both results are tied for the sixth-best single mark in Notre Dame history. Love is the only player to rank in the Top 10 twice in runs of 20 yards or more.
The biggest game of the season for Love was his 228 yards in a 34-24 win over USC. That total set a new record in a game playing inside Notre Dame Stadium. Love will likely end his Notre Dame career with 42 total touchdowns, which is the third most in program history. Love has only played three seasons at Notre Dame while the two players above him played four seasons.
The first Doak Walker Award was handed out in 1990 and there has never been a Notre Dame player to win the award. In fact, only one Notre Dame running back was ever even a finalist for the award. That came back in 1992 when former Irish star Reggie Brooks was a finalist after rushing for 1,343 yards and 13 touchdowns while averaging 8.0 yards per carry. Other finalists for the award this season were Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy and Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy.
———————
Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and our premium message board! Click on the link below for more.
Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time!