Notre Dame was just one win away from being declared National Champions in 2025. Unfortunately, their season came to a brutal end with a loss on the biggest stage, at the hands of OSU. The Fighting Irish received both bouquets and brickbats for that loss. Appreciation came for the effort 3rd-year HC Marcus Freeman put in. Criticism came for Notre Dame for giving it all away in their biggest game of the season. Because Freeman set the bar up so high in 2024, it’s Natty or nothing for the Fighting Irish as they approach the 2025 season. Jeremiyah Love, one of the team’s most integral members returning this season, shared some thoughts.

Love had Irish fans worrying about him after he suffered a brutal knee injury in the USC game. And that wasn’t the only blow. But the RB fought on. Like everyone else on the team, he was focused on getting his hands on that shining trophy at the end of the road. He set the record for the longest rushing touchdown in playoff history, running with a handoff from Riley Leonard for a 98-yard TD. In the championship game, Love made 4 carries and caught the ball twice. But it all came to an end after that fatal interception thrown by Christian Grey, and Buckeyes star Jeremiah Smith did the rest to finish things up. Instead of lamenting over the past, near misses, could-haves, and what-ifs, Love is using the loss as a lesson.

More importantly, he’s locked in on reaching that endgame this year. “Obviously, we got to the national championship game, and it didn’t end how we wanted it. But the fact that we made it there gave us a lot of insight on what we need to do in order to get there again and win it all next time,” he told On3. The last time Notre Dame won the national championship was in 1988. Marcus Freeman came close to renewing that history in just three years as the program’s HC. He did so with a team that ended up battered by the time they reached the finals. But after that sore loss, Love says the team is all hands on deck, working to undo it this year.

“This season, we’re going to be hunted. People are coming at our necks, trying to make a statement. We welcome all of that. We’re just going to do what we have to do to make it to the national championship again this year and win it all. We know what it’s going to take to get there,” he added further. Marcus Freeman is an HC who is the picture of development. But there’s always the chatter of his 2024 run to the Nattys being a one-off stroke of luck. His predecessors, too, have had a handful of seasons where they were able to take the Fighting Irish to at least a double-digit finish. Freeman truly cannot afford anything short of a National Championship appearance.

Love will return as the leader of an RB room ranked the second-best in the country. When asked about the very interesting QB1 race currently underway at South Bend, he dropped some interesting thoughts.

Jeremiyah Love opens up about Marcus Freeman’s QB1 race

According to On3, Love has not “paid attention” to the happenings that are unfolding in Marcus Freeman’s QB room. The QB1 race is one of the most interesting races in college football. Freeman wished for a 2-man race instead of 3, and he got what he wanted very quickly. The Fighting Irish’s QB1 battle is now down to Kenny Minchey and CJ Carr. After the spring game, former Notre Dame QB Steve Angeli decided that he’ll give another program a shot, and is now at Syracuse. The winner of the race will fill in the huge void left by Riley Leonard. But there are a lot of doubts about both the QBs’ futures as QB1, because of their inexperience.

The concerns also grow because Carr or Minchey will lead a team that is dedicating itself to the National Championship. Carr will begin his sophomore season this year, while Minchey will play as a junior. In fact, the two have faced off against each other in the only game they appeared in last season: Purdue vs Notre Dame. But Jeremiyah Love has no doubts about the coaching talents and is confident the QBs will deliver. “I know we got great coaches, and whoever ends up playing quarterback, I know that they’re going to be ready,” Love declared.

Marcus Freeman and his 2025 team already have a roadmap ahead of them. They’ve made this daunting journey before, so they’re no stranger to how brutal things can get along the way. Jeremiyah Love says the Fighting Irish have their targets locked onto that trophy this year. The winner of the QB1 race better roll up his sleeves and deliver upon the expectations that college football fans are heaping upon the program.