Top NFL Prospect Has Hall of Fame Aspirations Before Taking a Pro Snap

Several football players openly discuss wanting to slip on a gold jacket courtesy of being a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But most of them already have lengthy and distinguished professional careers. So when a player recently talked about going into Canton one day, before he had even played one snap of an NFL game, the ears of many perked up.

That’s exactly what Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love did recently, before even being selected in the 2026 NFL Draft. Granted, Love is one of the top prospects and is considered the top running back in this year’s draft, but it was still a bit surprising to hear him discuss potentially being a Hall of Famer one day.

At Notre Dame’s pro day on Tuesday, Love discussed his goals once he joins the NFL. He certainly wasn’t bashful.

“I want to be one of the best of all time,” Love said. “I want to be a Hall of Famer. I want to be a Pro Bowler my very first year. I want to win Offensive Rookie of the Year.

“I tell them all these goals that I have. Obviously, these are goals. Goals are goals, but you’ve got to have a process for how you want to achieve those things. I’ll go every season and set out little goals, per week, of what I can do to make sure I’m reaching the bigger goal that I have. I’ve told all these teams this. It’s a lot of big talk, but I have a process and I have a plan for how I’m gonna get there.”

While possibly being enshrined in Canton is years away, his rookie-season goals will be decided when this season ends. And even those “lesser” goals are pretty imposing, especially given his position.

Since 2000, only 14 running backs have been Pro Bowlers as rookies, with Jahmyr Gibbs (2023) the only one over the last four seasons. As for winning Offensive Rookie of the Year, the pro game’s shift from a running to a passing approach has made it harder for ball carriers to win the award. Since 2008, only four running backs have been named the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year and none since Saquon Barkley in 2018. By comparison, from 1964 through 2002—a span of 39 seasons—running backs collected the award 32 times.

As for being a Hall of Famer one day, if that does happen then Love would join a couple of other Golden Domer running backs with busts in Canton. Jerome Bettis was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015 after retiring as the NFL’s fifth all-time leading rusher, and he still holds the single-season Notre Dame mark for total touchdowns. Paul Hornung was enshrined in 1986 after being an NFL MVP, a four-time NFL champion, and winning the Heisman Trophy in South Bend, Ind.

The Fighting Irish have a tradition of great NFL running backs. Ricky Watters was a five-time Pro Bowler and is a member of the 10,000-yard rushing club. Greg Bell, a rookie Pro Bowler, twice led the NFL in rushing touchdowns. Rocky Bleier won four Super Bowls as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970s, and currently, Rams RB Kyren Williams has posted three straight seasons with over 1,300 scrimmage yards and at least 13 touchdowns.

Love has drawn comparisons to all-time greats such as LaDainian Tomlinson, and active greats such as Barkley. He is a three-down back who finished third in Heisman voting last season while also being a consensus All-American. Over his three years with the Irish, Love ran for 2,882 yards and 36 touchdowns, averaging 6.7 yards per carry. That’s despite often splitting time with another talented running back in Jadarian Price, who could very well be a Day 2 pick in this year’s draft.

But Love is expected to be a top 10 pick come April 24, the first day of the draft. That may not seem nearly as grandiose an accomplishment as being a Hall of Famer, Offensive Rookie of the Year, or a rookie Pro Bowler, but it would be quite an achievement nonetheless. Over the last seven years, just two running backs have been taken in the top 10 of the NFL Draft. Last year the Raiders grabbed Ashton Jeanty sixth overall, and in 2023 the Falcons took Bijan Robinson with the No. 8 pick.

As Love did state that he set little goals for himself in addition to the bigger ones, perhaps just hearing his name called within the first 10 picks of next month’s draft is one of those.