“The best running back in college football should come as no surprise to anyone that’s watched any of the games I’ve called,” Greg McElroy said recently on ESPN College Football. “And a handful of those games happened to involve this young man’s team. You could tell that I love this kid. It’s Jeremiyah Love.” That’s a bold declaration from someone who’s been around the best of the best. But it’s not just McElroy who’s all in; NFL draft analysts are starting to circle too.

After being one of the most electric sophomores in CFB, Love has made himself nearly impossible to ignore. He hits gaps with vision, finishes runs with power, and makes defenders miss in space. When it comes to pure rushing ability, Love checks all the boxes. But the closer he inches toward the NFL Draft, the more the conversation shifts from what he has to what he hasn’t shown yet. And Todd McShay did not hold back in that department.

On The Todd McShay Show, he was asked by NFL draft analyst Steve Muench if he thinks Jeremiyah Love has a shot at being a first-round draft pick. And Todd’s reply was a comprehensive one. He said, “I think he does, if he can stay healthy and show a little bit of improvement in the passing game. I think the run skills are absolutely there. I think he’s a first-round running back in terms of his run skills. And I mean all of it combined: the agility, the acceleration, the vision, the patience, the contact balance, the power. All those things combined, he is a first-round running back.”

But here comes the kicker. He continued, “But the game is not just about that. In fact, almost equal emphasis [is] on the passing game, and so I think he’s got to make some strides there.” That’s where the red flag is. Notre Dame hasn’t leaned on Love much as a receiver, which has left a gap in his evaluation.

“Quite honestly, it just wasn’t a big pass-heavy offense,” McShay admitted. “So that’s going to be interesting to see this year.” Love’s ability to catch passes out of the backfield on third downs, in motion, or split wide could be the difference between a second-round intrigue and a first-round certainty.

For now, Jeremiyah Love is a freight train with NFL-level instincts. But if he wants to hear his name called on that first Thursday night of the draft, 2025 will have to be about more than just what he does on the ground. The league wants to see the full package.

Could Jeremiyah Love Be the Exception to the Heisman Rule?

Let’s be honest, Heisman conversations have always been about quarterbacks. But could Jermiyah Love be the exception to that rule? Playing in the same league as quarterbacks like Carson Beck, Arch Manning, and John Mateer, it takes outstanding ability to join the conversation. Let alone be a serious contender. But Love is proving to be the latter.

CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli made that belief loud and clear during a recent appearance on the Cover 3 Podcast. He said, “I think Love could be the guy on that offense that is the true superstar that moves the needle, that garners attention and gets everybody going, so I love Jeremiyah Love and I love Jeremiyah Love for Heisman at 50 to 1.”

Fornelli even doubled down with a comparison to a college football icon. “Jeremiyah Love kind of has that Reggie Bush kind of excitement factor. Bush wasn’t the workhorse either, and that didn’t stop him from winning the Heisman,” he said. Fornelli’s bold support underscores the impact Love has already made, and could continue to make, on a national scale.

If Jeremiyah Love lives up to the mounting hype, he could become the trendsetter Marcus Freeman’s Notre Dame revival desperately needs. Being compared to Reggie Bush is the kind of praise most running backs dream of. Bush was the gold standard. But for Love, that comparison hits different. Bush carved up defenses in a USC jersey, the Irish’s fiercest rival. It’s a bittersweet compliment. A nod to greatness but wrapped in a rival’s jersey. Just like the NFL verdict that pegs him as a possible first-rounder if he fixes his biggest flaw, his pass-catching. Love is already the most electric weapon in South Bend, but if he adds that final layer and shines in Notre Dame’s biggest games, he’ll shift the Heisman narrative for backs everywhere.