Notre Dame HC Talks Up ‘Unique’ Duo of Running Backs in Draft

Notre Dame football head coach Marcus Freeman talked up his running back prospects.

The Fighting Irish have two prospects in this year’s NFL Draft: Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. Both have round one grades as prospects, but Love is regarded as a particularly transcendent prospect. Freeman told Colin Cowherd on April 10 that he thinks Price could play any position on the field and that he is a complete player.

Cowherd began the exchange by talking up Love. He compared him to Detroit Lions “home-run hitter” Jahmyr Gibbs and Philadelphia Eagles superstar Saquon Barkley. He said coaches deserve credit for developing players, but then asked when Freeman knew he had a transcendent talent.

“It didn’t take long. And you know what? Great players like Jeremiyah Love make coaches look really good. And listen, I’ll take the credit. I don’t even coach running backs, and I’ll take the credit. But man, Colin, he is a unicorn. He is as talented and gifted of an athlete as I’ve ever been around,” Freeman said.

“And I think he could be an elite wide receiver. He could be an elite [defensive back]. He’s just gifted with a unique skill set, the balance, the ability to jump over you, the ability to run through you, the ability—some of his most impressive runs aren’t the ones that you’re going to see on TV. It’s the ones that, as you’re watching them, you go, ‘oh my God, he made that play [into] a four-yard gain, it should have been a two-yard loss.’ I mean, he’s just really special, and he’s a unique talent.”

Love had the best season of his career in 2025. He rushed 199 times for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns, averaging 114.3 yards per game. He added 27 receptions for 280 yards and 3 touchdowns. In three seasons with the Irish, Love rushed for a total of 2,882 yards and 36 TDs; he caught 63 passes for 594 yards and 6 scores.

Love possesses an intriguing blend of size and speed: he is listed at 6 feet tall and 212 pounds, and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.36 seconds at the NFL Combine in February. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein has him listed as a first-round pick, calling him a “three-phase running back capable of stressing defenses with big-play speed and untapped pass-catching value.”

Zierlein’s profile highlights his speed and vision as key to his home-run ability. He can lose momentum when eluding tackles and does not have the strength to move a pile, but can run through contact.

Zierlein also touted his pass-catching and route-running ability, which can pose a matchup challenge against linebackers. And while he called Love a true three-down back who could fit in any scheme, he recommended going to a team with a backfield mate in order to “preserve his big-play ability.”

Consensus mock drafts heavily lean toward him going in the top 5, mainly to the Tennessee Titans at No. 4 overall.

Cowherd then asked Freeman about Price.

“I think he’s a complete running back. I’ve seen the way he’s improved in the pass game, in terms of protection,” Freeman said.

“He’s got deceptive speed, like his ability to take the ball vertically, but also get it east and west and then get vertical again, is really unique and rare. But he gives you return, special teams value, but he is as good of a running back that I’ve coached at Notre Dame.”

Price was the other half of the 1-2 punch with Love. In 2025, he carried the ball 113 times for 674 yards and 11 touchdowns; he had 6 catches for 87 yards and 2 TDs. In his three seasons in the navy and gold, Price racked up 1,692 yards and 21 TDs on the ground, and 15 catches for 162 yards and 3 TDs.

Price projects as more of a prototypical back at 5 feet, 11 inches tall, and 203 pounds. He ran the 40 in 4.49 seconds and showed his explosion with a 35-inch vertical and a 10-foot-4-inch broad jump at the Combine; he posted an impressive display of strength with 21 reps on the bench press.

Zierlein has him listed as a late-first or second-round pick. He says Price “is a more natural runner” than Love, but lacks the explosiveness and pass-catching bona fides. He also has solid vision and the strength to run through contact. Consensus mock drafts place him almost unanimously at No. 32 overall to the Seattle Seahawks.