It was quite the spectacle in South Bend this past Saturday. Marcus Freeman’s squad put a historic thumping on Syracuse, the kind of offensive outburst rarely seen from a Notre Dame team — a staggering 70 points.
While the defense and special teams accounted for a jaw-dropping 28 of those points, the most spectacular performance still belonged to Jeremiyah Love and the 18 points he produced almost effortlessly.
Despite limited duty — courtesy of the defense and special teams spotting the Irish 21 points in the opening quarter — Love still turned heads. On just eight carries, he erupted for 171 rushing yards, including touchdown sprints of 45, 14, and 68 yards.
And after that 68-yard burst, perhaps his final touchdown inside Notre Dame Stadium, Love punctuated the moment with the Heisman pose — a deserved curtain call for the program’s most explosive player.
Many, myself included, believe the St. Louis native deserves the 2025 Heisman Trophy. But will he actually win it? History says no.
The Case for Love
A Home Run Hitter Every Time He Touches the Ball
Every season, pundits talk about a player needing “a Heisman moment.” Love has had several — to the point where they’ve become routine. Whether it’s the aforementioned pair of 40-plus yard touchdowns against Syracuse, the 49-yard strike against Navy, or my personal favorite, the 94-yard sprint against Boston College, his résumé is stacked with jaw-dropping plays.
Love has reached a level of explosiveness where fans now expect a home run every time he touches the ball.
Clear Frontrunner for the Doak Walker Award
Unlike most of his Heisman competitors, Love has clearly separated himself from the rest at his position. He is a shoo-in to win the Doak Walker Award, given annually to the nation’s best running back. The vote will likely be unanimous — as will his First-Team All-America selection.
That’s a distinction that can’t be applied to betMGM’s current Heisman favorite Fernando Mendoza (-105) or fellow quarterbacks Julian Sayin (+400), Diego Pavia (+600), Marcel Reed (+1300), or Gunnar Stockton (+4000). All five are talented. All five play quarterback. None has distanced himself at his position the way Love has.
All listed betting odds are subject to change
Entering Week 14, any one of half a dozen quarterbacks could win both the Heisman and the Davey O’Brien Award. But no one knows who that will be yet because none has separated himself from the pack. Love, on the other hand, has already left his positional peers in the dust — whether he plays this week or not.
Love’s Stats Stack Up With Past Running Back Heisman Winners
Since 2000, only three running backs have captured the Heisman: Reggie Bush (2005), Mark Ingram II (2009), and Derrick Henry (2015).
Love’s production compares favorably to all three. Through 11 games:
• Rushing TDs: Love has 17 — one more than Bush and equal to Ingram.
• Yards per carry: His 7.1 YPC exceeds Henry’s 6.5 and Ingram’s 6.1.
• Receiving TDs: His three receiving scores match Ingram’s total and surpass Bush’s two and Henry’s zero.
In virtually every comparable metric, Love stacks up with — or exceeds — past greats.
The Case Against Love
He Plays the Wrong Position: Not a Quarterback
Since 2000, 20 of 25 Heisman winners have been quarterbacks. And as noted, the five players with the best odds besides Love (+350) are all signal-callers. Fair or not, the award has become a quarterback showcase.
Recently, legends such as Desmond Howard (1991 Heisman winner) and Joey Galloway have voiced their support for Love — either stating outright that he should win or that he should at least be a finalist. Perhaps the pendulum is swinging. But history remains a stubborn obstacle.
Notre Dame Has a History of Heisman Snubs
Whether it’s bias, coincidence, or simply the voters’ preferences, Notre Dame players have often come up short in recent Heisman races.
Since 2000, the Irish have produced three finalists — and all three ended the night disappointed.
• 2005: Brady Quinn finished fourth behind Reggie Bush, Vince Young, and Matt Leinart. Quinn’s numbers far surpassed Leinart’s, but Bush and Young were untouchable.
• 2006: Quinn finished third and arguably was snubbed. Ohio State QB Troy Smith won despite throwing for 884 fewer yards and seven fewer touchdowns than Quinn.
• 2012: Linebacker Manti Te’o came painstakingly close but finished second to Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel — the first freshman ever to win the award. Had Te’o played quarterback on a 12-0 Notre Dame team, maybe he would’ve won.
The pattern is clear: Notre Dame stars rarely get the benefit of the doubt.
Prediction
Continued futility will likely strike both the Irish and the running back position. Notre Dame’s last Heisman winner was wideout Tim Brown in 1987. The last running back to win was Derrick Henry in 2015.
Despite deserving college football’s most prestigious award — thanks to his highlight-reel plays, gaudy stats, and central role on a likely College Football Playoff team — Jeremiyah Love will probably be a finalist, but not the winner, of the Heisman Trophy.