Vikings-Linked College Star Enters NFL Draft
Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love declared for the NFL Draft this week, officially ending his collegiate career with the Fighting Irish.
Jeremiyah Love Declares for NFL Draft
Love has been a popular player for Skol Nation, and he’ll indeed make the suspected move to the pro level, announcing the decision on social media.
ESPN reported this week, “Jeremiyah Love, the star Notre Dame running back and Heisman Trophy finalist, made it official Tuesday night and declared for the 2026 NFL draft. Love made the announcement on social media, thanking his family, Fighting Irish coaches and teammates, among others, and saying he ‘could not have picked a better place for me to grow into the man I am today.'”
Love is a decorated college running back, having rushed only three yards short of 2,500 yards over the last two campaigns for the Fighting Irish, adding 17 and 18 touchdowns to the scoreboard as a ball-carrier, respectively. But he can catch the ball, too, registering over 500 receiving yards and five touchdowns through the air since 2024.
ESPN noted, “Love scored 21 all-purpose touchdowns in 2025, passing Jerome Bettis (1991) for the most in a season in Notre Dame history. The junior also ended the regular season fourth nationally with 1,372 rushing yards and third with 18 rushing touchdowns, averaging 6.89 yards per carry.”
He did reach the Heisman final, finishing third behind eventual winner Fernando Mendoza and runner-up Diego Pavia. Love won, however, the Doak Walker Award, given to the nation’s best running back. He became the first Notre Dame player to win that trophy.
Love could be an option for the Vikings. Though Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason are a solid duo, the purple squad lacks a game-changing running back. Jones is 31 years old and has struggled to stay healthy over the years.
Adding an explosive weapon like Love is realistic, especially with J.J. McCarthy still figuring things out. If defenses are drawn into the box to stop the skilled runner, the QB will have easier coverages to deal with.
That idea has been quite popular in mock draft circles. In Dane Brugler’s first mock draft, the draft analyst of The Athletic had the Vikings selecting Love with the 11th overall pick.
Brugler wrote, “Like Downs, Love is one of the best players in the draft but positional value will limit his landing spots in the top half of Round 1. Here, that just means the Vikings get value by adding the draft’s most explosive offensive weapon — a versatile back who’d help both the run and pass games.”
Over the last two decades, the Vikings mostly featured one of the league’s top backs on offense, with Adrian Peterson and Dalvin Cook carrying the rock. In the last three seasons, the mix of Alexander Mattison, Cam Akers, Ty Chandler, and the current duo of an aging Jones and a career RB2 Mason hasn’t given opposing defensive coordinators comparable problems.
Max Chadwick of Pro Football Focus sent Love to the Vikings with the 12th overall pick, writing, “While the Vikings continue to evaluate whether J.J. McCarthy is their long-term answer at quarterback, they can ease some of that burden by adding an elite running back prospect in Jeremiyah Love. The Heisman Trophy finalist has put up a 95.2 PFF grade since 2024, the highest among all running backs in that span, which includes Ashton Jeanty’s monstrous season last year.”
There’s a chance Love will rise in the next months ahead of the draft and end up out of reach for the Vikings. Ashton Jeanty and Bijan Robinson both ended up in the top ten (Jahmyr Gibbs went at No. 12, great value for the Lions), while the Vikings are currently slated to select with the 13th overall pick. However, Love will continue to play a big role in Minnesota’s draft coverage.
He’s still only 20 years old, making him one of the youngest prospects in this year’s draft cycle.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.