Tampering has become the new normal in college football. In this NIL and transfer portal era, getting your favorite player isn’t that hard. From Miami’s move to take in quarterback Darian Mensah to Lane Kiffin’s NIL move to bring in top talent from his former team, Ole Miss, everyone wants to build a strong team. Even Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love is immune to that push, as he gets real about it on ESPN.

“Yes, I did. I paid no attention to it, to be honest,” running back Jeremiyah Love said on ESPN’s’ This Is Football with Kevin Clark. “I was just with the Irish. You hit me up, I ain’t responding. I’m locked in with Notre Dame. I was locked in with Coach Free. I wasn’t paying attention to it for real. ”

Teams’ urge to bring in a player like him makes sense. This Missouri high school standout turned heads at Notre Dame and is now projected as a potential first-round pick. In high school he earned the Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year and the Missouri Class 6 Offensive Player of the Year honors. He did transition it all in college, too. After a quiet freshman season in South Bend, Love exploded in the last two years.

In the 2024 season, he put up 1,125 yards with 17 touchdowns on 168 carries, which grabbed other teams’ attention. He further added to the hype with last year’s 1,372 yards with 18 touchdowns on just 199 carries. His production got him the tag of most productive running back in program history, ranking seventh in career rushing yards with 2,882 and third in total touchdowns with 36. He also became the first player to win the Doak Walker Award.

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However, despite the push, Notre Dame remained his only destination. Players like Carson Beck, Bryce Underwood, and Jackson Cantwell all made moves for millions, but Love didn’t. In this NIL era, where players are choosing money over development, Love’s loyalty to Marcus Freeman and the team shows that not all players run behind a big bag.

While Love didn’t mention the names of the specific programs that were trying to lure him, he made it pretty clear that the attention was extreme. Something of this sort happened to Boise State’s star running back Ashton Jeanty. In 2024, he took Boise State to the playoffs and finished as the Heisman Trophy runner-up. That kind of talent sure grabs eyes. The result? The top teams were behind him.

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“You know it’s going on in college football right now, and that’s really the only way for guys to know a school wants them or they have a secure spot,” Jeanty said on This Is Football.

Now, that scare of losing your top player to another team is pushing coaches to voice their opinions. Dabo Swinney called for strict actions against tampering when Ole Miss made direct contact with their linebacker Luke Ferrelli. So, with tampering issues coming to light, it will be interesting to see if the NCAA makes any strict rules against it.

For now, Jeremiyah Love is making a major career advancement ahead of the NFL draft.

Jeremiyah Love’s major career update

Jeremiyah Love’s dominance last season earned him major recognition ahead of the 2026 season. Pro Football Focus graded Notre Dame’s star as the No. 1 running back in college football. This title arrived just two weeks after the season ended as analysts reviewed his performances across the season.

Notre Dame’s 2024 season adds much more value to Love’s resume, as they ended the season as semifinalists of the college football playoffs. One of his best performances came against Virginia, where he rushed for 137 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. Even in the 2025 season, he turned into a monster against USC, rushing for 228 yards with one touchdown on 24 carries.

The result? He finished third in Heisman Trophy voting behind Fernando Mendoza and Diego Pavia, showing dominance in the game. So, there’s no doubt why PPF gave him the no. 1 RB tag. With NFL drafts approaching, let’s wait and see if Jeremiyah Love resonates the same dominance on the pro field or not.