Jeremiyah Love’s decision to declare for the NFL Draft broke many hearts in South Bend. The running back carried his consistency from Notre Dame’s 2024 CFP runner-up season and delivered a performance that helped him finish third in the Heisman Trophy voting. But after missing the playoffs, Love now takes the first step in his professional journey. As he moves on, running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider thanked him for his contributions to the program.

With the NFL Combine set to begin today, all 319 invited players will have the opportunity to engage with the teams interested in their talents. Jeremiyah Love is one of those prospects, being one of six players invited from the Irish. Ahead of this journey, running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider shared a message for his players.

“When you build the room the right way, it becomes more than player to coach, it becomes family! So appreciative of my guys, the journey has been very rewarding! Time to go get paid! @nfl @nfldraft #LawnBoyz #Fleet 🤞🏽”

Seider joined Marcus Freeman’s staff last year after spending seven years at Penn State. His RB room was a two-headed monster, with Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. It also had true freshman Aneyas Williams, who showed flashes of brilliance in limited action. In total, the Irish RBs combined for nearly 2,500 yards and 34 total touchdowns.

Love was the standout performer, securing the Doak Walker Award at the end of the season. Although he broke out in his sophomore year, his best season came under Seider. Love ended 2025 with 199 carries for 1,372 rushing yards with 18 touchdowns. On the receiving front, he posted 27 catches for 280 receiving yards, along with three touchdowns.

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One of his most dominant performances came against USC, where he ran through the Trojan defense with ease. Juking the defenders left, right, and center, Love finished with a season-best rushing yards (228) and third-best receiving yards (37) of the season.

Their relationship became even clearer when Seider publicly defended Love’s hurdling habit. “How many times can anybody show me where somebody grabbed his leg and took him out? Usually, he’s jumping, and nobody’s touching him. To me, he’s really protecting himself,” Seider said last season.

“There was a situation (where) he did jump, and he started listening to everybody talking about him jumping, and he got halfway instead of truly jumping on a goal-line run,” Seider added. “That’s when I jumped him. I said, ‘If you’re going to do something, do it. I’ll tell you if you’re doing something too much.’”

Love continued hurdling defenders throughout the season while avoiding injuries, showing both his confidence and Seider’s trust in him. However, all things eventually come to an end. Despite finishing the season on a ten-game winning streak, Notre Dame failed to make the 12-team CFP Playoff bracket. The season-opening 27-24 loss against Miami ultimately proved costly, bringing Love’s college football career to an end.

Now aiming for the professional level, Jeremiyah Love is set to participate in the NFL Combine this week.

Jeremiyah Love Set to Begin NFL Combine Drills This Week

As one of the biggest names to watch at the Combine, Jeremiyah Love is expected to participate in activities this week. Insider Tom Pelissero shared the update in a post on X.

“We’re live from Indianapolis, where many of the 2026 NFL Draft’s top prospects — including Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love and Ohio State edge Arvell Reese — are expected to work out this week at the combine. @gmfb @nflnetwork”

The former Notre Dame running back is set to run the 40-yard dash this week. As scouts closely observe him, it will be his first major test to showcase the speed and agility that define his game. Already projected as a top pick in the draft, a strong performance at the Combine will only strengthen his case and increase interest from NFL teams.