Cowboys 2026 draft: RB Jeremiyah Love scouting report
We continue our 2026 NFL Draft preview of draft prospects that could interest the Dallas Cowboys. Today we are looking at Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love.
Jeremiyah Love
RB
Notre Dame
Junior
4-star recruit
6’0”
214 lbs
History
At Christian Brothers College High School, Jeremiyah Love shone as a featured back on a state title team and excelled in various sports. He led Christian Brothers to an impressive 13-1 season and the 2021 Class 6 state championship. His athletic prowess extended beyond football, as he also ran a remarkable 10.76-second 100m dash and a 22’01” long jump. Before joining Notre Dame, Love continued to impress on the track during spring training, registering a 40-yard dash time of 4.48 seconds, vertical jump of 35 inches, and broad jump of 9’11”.
As a true freshman in 2023, Love showcased his home-run potential immediately for Notre Dame. However, he primarily played as an explosive complement rather than a full workload back and featured in 13 games, carrying the ball 71 times for 385 yards and scoring one rushing touchdown. His first significant moment came on a 36-yard touchdown run against Tennessee State, which showcased his speed and burst and made him a national highlight reel sensation early in the season.
In 2024, Love became the driving force behind Notre Dame’s offense, leading the team through an impressive 16-game run that culminated in a spot in the College Football Playoff national title game. Love showcased his versatility, amassing 163 carries for 1,125 yards and 17 rushing touchdowns. Additionally, he had 28 receptions for 237 yards and two receiving touchdowns.
Love’s performance was nothing short of historic, as he embarked on a remarkable rushing-touchdown streak that shattered the team record for most consecutive games with a rushing touchdown, surpassing Wayne Bullock’s previous mark. He also etched his name in Notre Dame’s history with signature performances, including a three-touchdown day against Army that tied the school record for 11 straight games with a rushing touchdown at the time. However, in the national championship loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes, Ohio State effectively stifled Notre Dame’s ground game, limiting Love’s statistical impact to just four carries for three yards. It was evident that the Buckeyes had devised a strategic plan to secure their victory.
In 2025, Love transformed production into national-award credibility in 12 games. He amassed an impressive 199 carries for 1,372 yards and 18 rushing touchdowns, along with 27 catches for 280 yards and three receiving touchdowns. This remarkable performance culminated in an astonishing 21 touchdowns from scrimmage. Notably, Notre Dame itself showcased his talent in a weekly national-award publicity stunt, where he demonstrated his explosive yet efficient running style by rushing for 228 yards against USC. This performance further solidified his position as a top prospect in the draft conversation. By the end of the season, Love’s outstanding achievements were recognised with the Doak Walker Award, third place in the Heisman voting, and a remarkable feat of breaking Notre Dame’s single-season total touchdown record previously held by Jerome Bettis.
2025 Statistics
448 Defensive Snaps
199 Rush Attempt
1,372 Rush Yards
6.9 Yards Per Carry
56 Tackles Broken
896 Yards After Contact
1 Fumble
27 Receptions
280 Receiving Yards
1 Dropped Pass
21 Total Touchdowns
1 Penalty
Snap by Postion
Backfield- 92%
Slot- 4%
Wide- 1%
NFL Combine/Pro Day
N/A
Awards
2025: Doak Walker Award winner
2025: Disney Spirit Award winner
2025: All-American
Scorecard
Overall– 90.6
Speed- 92
Acceleration- 96
Agility- 85
Strength- 86
Contact Balance- 96
Elusiveness- 88
Ball Security- 97
Vision- 89
Receiving- 79
Blocking- 61
Discipline- 99
THE GOOD
- Elite burst and acceleration through the line of scrimmage.
- Hits creases fast and turns small lanes into chunk gains.
- Home-run long speed once he clears the second level.
- One-cut efficiency in zone-style runs.
- Presses the aiming point, then makes decisive cuts without wasted steps.
- Contact balance and yards after contact are elite.
- Bounces off arm tackles, stays upright through glancing blows consistently.
- High-end make-miss ability in space.
- Real receiving value and versatility.
- Three-down upside because he combines explosive plays with enough physicality to run inside, outside, and contribute in the pass game.
- Highly productive over the last two seasons and consistently showing he can easily handle being treated as a feature-back.
THE BAD
- Pass protection is the biggest concern.
- Technique and anchor against blitzing linebackers and edge pressure can be inconsistent as a blocker, especially when he has to absorb power and sustain the block.
- Passing-game polish is still a projection
- Frame and workload durability questions due to his leaner build and whether he can comfortably handle true bell-cow volume in the NFL.
- Shows occasional indecisiveness and makes probing runs when he searches for a crease instead of setting it up decisively.
- Risk management concerns due to his hurdling habit. This will be something NFL teams will want him to dial back if spending a high draft pick on him.
THE FIT
Love fits best in a modern, zone–heavy offense that lets him press the aiming point, plant once, and explode, and also using him as a designed weapon on screens, swings, and angle routes to leverage his acceleration and open-field make-miss ability. He’s maximized behind a line that can generate movement and clean reads, paired with a complementary back for some short-yardage and dirty-carry work early in his career.
SUMMARY
Love is an explosive feature back with real big-play upside who can also help on passing downs. His calling cards are rapid acceleration through the hole, legitimate breakaway speed, and the ability to make the first defender miss without losing momentum. He’s efficient on one-cut runs, especially zone concepts, shows good contact balance for his build, and has enough receiving value to be used as extra outlet further enhancing his value.
The main areas of weakness are on his NFL durability and workload questions, enhancing the receiving game polish, and especially maintaining consistent pass protection. The projection is straightforward, he’s the top prospect in this running back class and can start early in a zone-heavy or mixed run game. He can also be schemed into space on passing downs. His true every-down value will depend on his pass-pro growth.
COMPARISON
Jahmyr Gibbs
BTB OVERALL RANKING
8th
CONSENSUS OVERALL RANKING
10th
(Consensus ranking based on the average ranking from 90 major scoring services, including BTB)
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