Jeremiyah Love didn’t need the NFL combine to prove himself. He was already considered one of the best players in the 2026 draft who could go in the top 10. Still, when the RBs took the field this weekend, the Notre Dame standout separated with his blazing speed. But it’s what happened after the drills that caught attention. When teams requested extra positional work, including lining up outside as a receiver, he didn’t hesitate, and there’s a huge reason why. 

“Just want to showcase everything,” Jeremiyah Love told Stacey Dales at the combine. “I’m not only a great running back. I’m a great receiver as well. So I just want to showcase that ability, and then I get to run a little bit, you know, on the backfield. I don’t get to open up like that, so when I get out wide and get a little bit of space, I get to showcase my speed a little bit.” 

Multiple observers noted Jeremiyah Love and his RB teammate Jadarian Price staying late, putting in extra work with WR drills after the RBs had already wrapped. This earned attention, especially after he clocked an official 4.36 in the 40-yard dash, following an initial 4.37. He nearly made history, as his record ranked just second among RBs, just behind Arkansas’ Mike Washington at 4.33. This was the fastest RB group the combine has ever seen, and Love stood out at 6’0, 212 pounds.

Love’s 4.36 tied Jahmyr Gibbs’ time coming out and beat what Saquon Barkley ran at his combine. It also separates him from recent Notre Dame RBs in a big way. Audric Estime ran 4.71, Kyren Williams posted 4.65, and Dexter Williams ran 4.57. And yet, when he crossed the line, he wasn’t satisfied. 

When Stacey Dales asked him how it felt to go 4.36 official, Jeremiyah Love was honest about it.

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“A little bit disappointed,” he said. “I wanted to run like a 4.2. Didn’t get there, but 4.3’s good. So I’m okay with it. Wanted better.”

That answer tells you where his expectations are. But if you want a glimpse into why he’s wired this way, look to the stands. After his first 4.37 run, cameras caught his dad, Jason, shaking his head in dissatisfaction. 

“He’s never satisfied, just like me,” he said of his dad. “I mean, he knows my potential and honestly believes I could have run a 4.2, but I mean, I’m like 214 right now; I have to drop a little bit of weight. So yeah, he’s just like me.”

For the Love family, just good isn’t good enough. But it’s not just his family that shaped him this way.

Jeremiyah Love gave a shout-out to his former head coach, Marcus Freeman’s philosophy

For most prospects, running a 4.36 at 212 pounds is a party. For Jeremiyah Love, it was just a checkpoint, and it’s not arrogance. Around South Bend, they call it “Choose Hard,” the standard set by Marcus Freeman. That mindset has been his operating system since Day 1, and he let the world know what it means.

“If something is easy, it isn’t good for you,” he said. “I worked for everything I have. When I got to college, I didn’t come in looking for handouts or money. I came in, put my head down, and worked and gained everything I’ve gained. Choose hard—I want to work for everything, and once I work for it, I feel like I’ve earned it.”

It’s blunt and to the point. There’s no easy way out, but again, there’s no sweeter reward than tasting the fruits of your own effort. The St. Louis native leaves Notre Dame as one of the most productive RBs in program history with 1,372 rushing yards and 18 TDs in 2025.

He was the school’s first Doak Walker Award winner as well as a top-four Heisman finalist. By the time he reached the combine, he was already viewed as the RB1 in the 2026 class. But if he has it his way, he’s still just getting started.