When Marcus Freeman was asked if Jeremiyah Love might be a Heisman Trophy candidate after Notre Dame’s 49–10 win over Navy, he didn’t hedge or downplay it. “In my mind, yes, he is,” Freeman said. It wasn’t coach-speak or flattery — it was conviction. And if you saw Love’s second-quarter touchdown run or have watched him play the last year and a half, you understand why.
Another legendary run for the reel
On a first and ten midfield, Navy did exactly what everyone expected: sold out to stop the inside zone. They got penetration, filled all gaps, met Love in the backfield, and still had no shot. Love bounced outside and got bottled up only to land on top of the Navy defender, bounce back up on his feet, and make another house call. Forty-eight yards later, he was in the end zone, ball raised, the crowd roaring through the rain.
It was the kind of run that defines a player’s season — part power, part balance, part “are-you-kidding-me.”. For Notre Dame fans, it was also déjà vu. Love’s been doing this for almost two years now, but this one felt different — a moment that screamed national spotlight.
He finished the night with 13 carries for 94 yards and two touchdowns, averaging over seven yards per carry. The Irish offense totaled 502 yards and, for the first time in nearly three decades, committed zero penalties — a fitting backdrop for a performance this clean and explosive.
Freeman’s Vote of Confidence
Freeman didn’t stumble into his postgame comment. For a program that’s been careful recently about individual hype, saying the quiet part out loud mattered. It was an acknowledgment that Notre Dame finally has a player who doesn’t just fit the Heisman conversation — he belongs in it.
Love’s 2025 numbers tell part of the story — 988 rushing yards, 254 receiving, 16 total touchdowns, 6.4 yards per carry — but the rest is harder to quantify. He’s the focal point of every defensive game plan, and the reason Carr and the passing game have been able to thrive.
Freeman’s postgame comment wasn’t an offhand answer — it was a deliberate, defining statement. Ever since the “33 Trucking” campaign for Josh Adams in 2017, the University has not been as vocal in their hype of an individual player for awards like the Heisman. Even with Freeman’s statement on Saturday, the University media teams have not gone all in on a Jeremiyah Love Heisman campaign this season. Given that we’re already halfway through November, it seems unlikely that it will happen now.
Forcing Defenses to Choose
Navy’s entire defensive plan, like Boston College a week ago, revolved around stopping Love. They loaded the box, crowded the line, and dared CJ Carr to beat them over the top. Carr obliged — 13 of 16 for 218 yards and three touchdowns — with several deep shots made possible by the threat of Love’s running.
That balance has turned Notre Dame’s offense into a pick-your-poison operation. When opponents collapse inside, Love punishes them on the edge. When they widen to contain him, Carr finds Will Pauling or Malachia Fields streaking behind the secondary. Even when he’s gets bottled up for long stretches, he always finds a way to hit the home run like his jaw-dropping run on Saturday or his 94-yard house call in Chestnut Hill last week.
Freeman knows it, too: “He’s one of the best players in the country,” he said. “He had a great week of prep, and again, he continues to do things that maybe you haven’t seen — but you’re not surprised with Jeremiyah.”
Sharing the Load, Still Stealing the Show
If anything, Love’s raw numbers understate just how dominant he’s been. He shares the backfield with Jadarian Price, a legitimate No. 1 talent in his own right. Most programs would build an entire offense around one of those backs. Notre Dame happens to have two. And that doesn’t even take into account Aneyas Williams, whose role has been diminished this year, but he showed how explosive he can be with a 54-yard touchdown run of his own in the fourth quarter.
That rotation keeps Love fresh and dangerous, but it also means he rarely gets the kind of 25-carry stat lines that pad Heisman resumes elsewhere. Yet every time he touches the ball, he delivers maximum impact — the hardest-to-find currency in college football.
Saturday night wasn’t a breakout by any means; it was further confirmation. Jeremiyah Love entered the year as a star and continues to find new ways to validate it. His third-quarter touchdown run against Navy was the latest “wow” moment in a season, and career, full of them — the kind of play that reminds voters, opponents, and teammates exactly why Freeman didn’t blink when the question came.
If the Heisman is supposed to honor the player who most defines his team, its success, and its identity, then Love’s case is already being written in real time — one cutback, one broken tackle, and one jaw-dropping sprint at a time. Sadly, the award has just turned into a “good quarterback on a good team” award, so Love probably won’t find himself a finalist for he award, barring some sort of insane outburst over the final three weeks of the season. The lack of a true front-runner right now, however, should benefit Love’s chance, though.
