In a league that's still not quite sure how to value running backs, Jeremiyah Love looks like a surefire top 10 pick at the 2026 NFL Draft anyway.
The Notre Dame star has emerged as one of the top prospects in the latest edition of pro football's debutante ball. Love is so sought after that most teams haven't even bothered to go to great lengths to court him, fully understanding he'll likely be snapped up before the first round's selections hit double digits. That's an honor, but not one the All-American tailback is taking for granted.
Love partnered with PayPal to knock out some pre-draft interviews and showcase his new sponsorship with a brand that's been around for (prepare to feel old) his entire life. Here's what he had to say about his NFL projection, how he built himself into the first running back selected in 2026 and why you should draft his Notre Dame teammates.
"I've had four [top 30 pre-draft visits]. That's not as many as other guys. It's a good sign. But those visits have been great though.
"I've visited the Titans, Giants, Bengals and the Commanders and all of them are great. Had great conversations with the OC, running back coaches and then the GMs as well. So hey man, I don't know where I'm gonna go."
"Honestly, I feel like I can run in any scheme, but I would say the one that I had the most success just from my Notre Dame days, having Mike Denbrock as my OC, we did a lot of mid zone, a lot of mid zone and duo, so those are my bread and butter. Those are all we really ran.
"It would be a seamless connection if I could just go to a system that runs a lot of mid zone and a lot of duo because I've been doing it for a whole two seasons now.
"I just need a good online that's all. Just a good online, decent online so I can find me some creases."
"It was [offensive coordinator Mike] Denbrock, it was Coach [JaJuan] Seider. They wanted to get the ball in my hands more out in space, and then I train as a receiver all the time, so when I'm going home training, I'm not even doing running back stuff. So training on my receiving skills, trying to be a better route runner and catcher.
"So it was really me advocating for myself, wanting to get more out on the slot and just out of the backfield and then Coach Denbrock and Coach Seider being open to that and having enough trust in me to where they can put me in those situations to where we create mismatches with linebackers out wide or even a safety or nickel. It was kind of all three of us.
"A good back that I've watched that's been able to do everything, split out wide, release from the backfield and all that stuff. I would say Alvin Kamara, he did a good job with that. I would say I can probably do a little bit more receiving wise. Really, just split me out wide and I think I'll have a lot of success with that. Possibly, more success than Kamara, but I guess we'll see to how that looks whenever I get drafted and whatever they put together a scheme or plan for me to do that.
"But yeah, I've watched a lot of Alvin Kamara, he's a great back that can do everything."
"So for me, I'm really looking at the safeties [before the snap], seeing where the safeties are. If we're in three by one, let's say there's a nickel to the three side and the safety stack and the nickel. I know the nickel's probably coming, the backer to my side is probably not going to come. So I'm looking at really the safeties. I'm looking at their rotation, looking at the backers, looking at how their posture is.
"A lot of times when the guys are blitzing, they're kind of finicky. So just watching that stuff, but I really just got a progression that I go through that eliminates all other factors. If I don't, I want to look at safety rotation, it'll go from my back or right in front of me. The left, to the right. Nobody comes. I'm getting out, but that's a progression.
"But if I'm being smart, having football smarts, really looking at my safety... Looking at their coverage. Got one high [safety]? Possibility of what, man? Two high? Probably zone, but really the safeties can tell it all. The safety's rotation; if a safety rotates to my side or to the right side, there's a strong side. There's one guy that can come in and blitz. So we're just looking at safety rotation, looking at trying to uncover the defense that they're in, whether they're in zone man or whatever it may be they're in.
"The safeties kind of tell it all. They're the leaders of the defense and the backers themselves watching tape and just looking at their tendencies can give it away as well. But safeties tell it all for me and just from watching film, you can understand."
"PayPal has just always been a part of my life. I've always used it. That's what made me want to partner with PayPal. They showed interest in me first and then, the connection was already there.
"But I would say PayPal is just, it's very convenient. Like I said, I've been using it pretty much my whole experience making money. Ever since I've had a little bit of dough, I've been using PayPal, me and my friends in high school, we would send each other money through PayPal or pool together our money to pay for something. That's one of the things you can do with PayPal. You can pool together your money and you can use that money to pay for what trips or whatever it may be that you and your people want to pay for. Or you can send your buddy an exclusive or a little link, PayPal link to send money and stuff like that and receive money as well."
"JD can do pretty much everything I can do, if not more. JD is a guy that can play special teams. He's a great kick returner. He is a great running back. He can receive, he can block. So I mean, JD can pretty much do everything you need him to do.
"I feel like whenever he gets his name called, he's going to go into the league and he's going to take over for whatever team he gets drafted to. He's a guy that's going to come in as an immediate starter. I feel like a lot of guys slept on JD in college, but JD had the opportunity to go to any other college in the country and he would've started, guaranteed.