Chris Huston (00:02.403)
Jeremiah Love, thanks so much for coming on the Heisman Trophy Podcast.

Jeremiyah Love (00:06.296)
Thank you, I'm glad to be here.

Chris Huston (00:08.409)
You know, the Irish bounced back last Saturday against Purdue and you in particular had a great game, a career high 157 yards to go with two touchdowns after two tough losses to Miami and Texas A&M. What's the mood like around the team now that you're back on track?

Jeremiyah Love (00:23.714)
You know, everybody's ready for our next opportunity to get back out there and play the game that we love. It's great to get a win. We put a lot of work into last week's preparation-wise to go out there and make sure that we're executing the way that we need to in order to help our team achieve team glory. But yeah, the vibes around the locker room are good. Coaches, good. Everybody's hyped up for the next opportunity to go out there and play the game.

Chris Huston (00:52.771)
All right. Well, last year you guys were upset by Northern Illinois in week two and you went on to play in the national title game. Does that early setback from last year help you guys stay calm and focused this time around knowing, you know, there's still so much to play for, including a playoff berth.

Jeremiyah Love (01:07.374)
Oh yeah, oh yeah, I would say it. We take we take lessons from last year and incorporate those lessons into this year and obviously last year we lost in Northern Illinois and made to the national title or made to the national championship. This year we didn't start off in the way we wanted to, but that doesn't mean we put our heads down and you know. Continue to just stay complacent, you know.

We say no, we're going to get better every single week, every single day. We're to put our heads down and work as hard as we can, do the same thing that we did last season. Because at end of the day, you don't know the future. The future is uncertain. And our hopes and dreams of making it to whatever the playoffs or a national championship or whatever it may be are still alive. And we as a team have to acknowledge that and just keep going and keep fighting. Just keep finding ways to elevate. Yeah, just keep going.

Chris Huston (02:03.705)
What are the coaches telling you guys ahead of this week's game against Arkansas?

Jeremiyah Love (02:10.584)
They're very good team. We're going into a hostile environment. We've been in the hostile environment before, so we know what it's going to be like. This is actually our first time. Well, us and Arkansas's first time you know meeting and playing against each other. So there's a lot at stake here.

We want to make a very good impression on them. And I'm guessing they want to do the same with us. But they're telling us we got to make sure they're preparing the right ways to make sure that we're going to be able to handle the pressures of being in a hostile environment. We did handle it very well in my opinion against Miami. We're to do the same this week. And we're just going to go out there and give it our all.

Chris Huston (02:54.723)
You know, very few running backs have a signature move like you do. It's the hurdle. I've never seen a back hurdle defenders the way you do it. Where did that come from?

Jeremiyah Love (03:02.734)
It came from last year's Northern Illinois game. The same safety was just ankle biting the whole game. And we went into halftime. I told my teammates, of my fellow running back to Gibran, I was like, if he comes from my knees or ankles again, I'm going to hurtle him. And opportunity came. I jumped, completely cleared him.

And that's when I learned I could completely jump over another person. And I just continued to do it. I developed it into different types of hurdles. I got a little sideways hurdle that I like to do. But yeah, I'm hoping to continue to evolve when it's a hurdle. And hopefully, one day, I can pull off a backwards hurdle, maybe.

Chris Huston (03:47.79)
Yeah.

Chris Huston (03:53.135)
It feels like you've been kind of influential in this regard. mean, don't know if it's you know, happenstance, but you started hurtling people, other people are hurtling people. Every week you watch a game and someone's hurdling someone. Are they following your lead?

Jeremiyah Love (04:09.038)
The ego in me likes to think so. I feel like some people may watch my game and I would hope that they would think like he plays pretty free. He goes out there and just tries things. T hat's literally kind of what I do sometimes is go out there and try moves. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't, but I play with a certain type of freedom.

and just wanting to make spectacular plays. And I feel like other people, hopefully they see that and maybe that could be why a lot of people are starting to hurdle.

Chris Huston (04:45.824)
Yeah. Yeah. I was going to ask you, you mentioned the freedom. Some coaches, imagine some running back coaches might be like, you know, follow the whole, this, you know, you do, you know, go according to the plan, but maybe some are like recognizing that when you have a player who can, who can, improvise in those situations that they let that, they don't want to mess with that. Is that how it is with, with you your coach?

Jeremiyah Love (05:07.342)
I would say so yeah, he encourages us each and every one of the running backs to you know go out there and be ourselves Don't be robots. That's it. That's what he says and I really like that because I want to go out there and be a robot I want to go out there and be forced to you only do this one thing, you know, I want to play free You know, I want to be able to express myself on a football field And that's what I try to do

And my coaches encourage me to do that, which I really love them and respect them for. But yeah, I just go out there and play free and just have fun.

Chris Huston (05:40.718)
Do you express yourself off the field in similar ways or does it find its way on the field, this expression of nature of yours?

Jeremiyah Love(05:51.342)
I would say it really just finds its way on the field. Outside of football, I'm just really just a laid back guy. I don't like to do too much. My thought of having fun is sitting in my room playing video games or watching anime. I don't like to do too much anything else. So on the football field, I just feel more alive. I feel like I'm able to be more of my true self, I guess you could say.

And yeah, I just go out there and try to express that by just playing free and doing whatever I want to do and just trying to make plays. But also, when I have to, put my foot in the ground, get north, get the yards that I need to get to. But I feel like I just have a unique play style and my coaches see it as well. So yeah.

Chris Huston (06:42.124)
Yeah.

Yeah. You're kind of a, I don't want to say you're upright or long, kind of a long strider. Like most long striders can't really, don't really have the giddy up like that. And the sudden burst that you have, you seem to have a good mix of, you know, the fundamentals having, you know, the times you want to put your head down and get the hard yards. do that the times you need to be spectacular. You do that as well. Is, is that trying to be, is it, is that a natural instinct for you? Or is that something you wanted to be this complete back? And this is what, resulted.

Jeremiyah Love (07:14.186)
It's just a natural thing. I've always been an upright runner, people say. I feel like it's more of an advantage than a disadvantage. You know, I'm able to pretty much do it all. If I need to, you know, get low and, you know, truck somebody or get to hard yards, I can. But a lot of times, you know, I'm trying to, you know, make moves and, you know, make some spectacular plays because, you know, that's who I am in my world. You know, I'm a playmaker.

I want to do things that other people can look to and say, I want to play like he plays. I want to express myself how he expresses himself. I want to be, it's my true self. Football is me. Without football, I don't know how I would express myself and relieve some of the things I need to relieve. But yeah, snap.

Chris Huston (08:08.824)
Do you think the position you played is amenable to that approach? When did you start playing running back? Was it the position you always wanted to play and this attitude you have? Would it be the same with any other position or do think running back helped you have that attitude?

Jeremiyah Love(08:25.422)
I've always played running back. I grew up playing running back and corner. Played corner all the through Little League, all the through middle school, and then high school I played corner my freshman year. They moved me to safety. Did not want to play safety, so stopped playing defense in general. They just stuck to running back. yeah, it's just growing up I've always had to, you know.

make moves and create my own space and create my own opportunities. And that kind of just stuck with me as I grew up. And I feel like that's the reason why I played the way I play today. Obviously, I got guys that can create opportunities for me. Like I got a great offensive line, got great receivers, got a great quarterback, who's smart to put me in the best business possible to succeed. I great coaches, but.

Also, you know, have this uniqueness about myself that I attained while just growing up, just making plays and doing spectacular things, which I feel like just, just, just compliment each other. Like I got great coaches that great players, great people around me. And also just got a unique skill set that, yeah, just, just, just was yourself on the field.

Chris Huston (09:34.53)
Yeah. Yeah. Love the confidence there. I'm going to ask you a few questions now about what it's like to be a running back for Notre Dame. The first time you really got hit in a college practice, what was it like and what were you thinking afterwards?

Jeremiyah Love (09:46.319)
man, I remember it too. It was freshman year. It was at the end of fall camp. I think it was what we call a Jersey scrimmage. And it was inside zone. It was against Snead. I ran, A-Gap smacked me like head, seeing stars. It was a welcome to college football moment for sure. But you know, I got back up and...

Just kept playing, ended up making a big play freshman year in the Jersey scrimmage. And yeah, rest is history.

Chris Huston (10:22.018)
Yeah. The first time you ran out under the lights at Notre Dame Stadium, what did your body feel like in that moment?

Jeremiyah Love (10:29.866)
It was crazy to me, being able to run out and just see all the people in the stands. It was our first home game against my freshman year against Tennessee State. Went out there, all the fans, everybody screaming, seen the gold helmets. It was a special feeling. It was a great feeling. It was a...

Wow, I'm really here type feeling. couldn't believe it.

Chris Huston (10:59.63)
And you got a touchdown in your first game too, right?

Jeremiyah Love (11:03.31)
Yeah, I did. That was an even greater moment, being able to celebrate with my guys and seeing all the people in the stands shouting and screaming, going crazy. yeah, I feel like there's no greater feeling than scoring a touchdown in your home stadium.

Chris Huston (11:19.246)
Describe a run where time seemed to slow down. What did you notice as the play happened?

Jeremiyah Love(11:25.42)
I would say my Penn State run last year.

Like everything seemed like it was going in slow motion. And I had no doubt that I was going to score. I got tripped up, caught my balance, slow corner or whatever came and tried to tackle me, just muscling through. And I'm just seeing everything in slow motion. see, think it was Dion pushed, he pushed the corner into me. I dodged him and then I felt somebody coming right around, tuck the ball, everything was happening in slow motion. And throughout that whole time, I literally had no doubt that I was going to score and I ended up scoring.

just will my way to get in the touchdown. But that was definitely a play where everything felt like it was in slow motion and that I understood what was going to happen. It was almost meant to happen.

Chris Huston (12:10.476)
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Thanks for sharing that. What's the hardest part about being a running back?

Jeremiyah Love (12:17.871)
The hardest part about being a running back, would say, just having to be able to recognize all the blitzes, then having to block these huge linebackers. And then also, you know, we go out and make a big play. You we're coming back. We may have to block a 250 linebacker the next play. And we got that in.

We got to do it. We got to succeed. There is no, oh, I lost on this play. You got to win every single time. I would say as a running back, we got a lot of responsibilities. And some people may think that our job is easy, but at end of the day, really think that it's really not. We got a lot to do, a lot on our shoulders, not a lot of work to do.

Chris Huston (13:04.974)
Seem seems like it. All right. Take me to the split second before the handoff. What's your emotion? Are you calm? You nervous? You fired up.

Jeremiyah Love(13:14.287)
I'm very calm. Kind of just like in like a zone type feeling. Just reading what I need to read. Then whenever the hole opens or say if there's a guy on the hole, like there's just that burst that comes out of me, you know, like a fired up feeling. Like, I gotta go make a play. Or like just like just chill, then it goes hot.

Chris Huston (13:37.825)
huh.

Jeremiyah Love(13:43.585)
Say like, I see.

Chris Huston (13:43.672)
Yeah. Have you ever forgotten what to do when a play is called?

Jeremiyah Love (13:50.383)
yeah, yeah, I have. It was a protection play. And like in protection, like so much going is going through our minds as running backs like who's coming up this like why is he here? Like is the safety stacked over this nickel or like so much is going on in the play. And sometimes I forget the route that I have to run if nobody comes. And a lot of times people do come so.

Chris Huston (13:54.168)
What happened?

Jeremiyah Love (14:19.161)
Thank God I didn't have to get out and run a route that was probably gonna be wrong. yeah, there are some times where I'm just processing so much where I forget what I need to do if nobody comes.

Chris Huston (14:23.01)
Yeah.

Chris Huston (14:31.0)
Sometimes a little bit of overload, I guess, huh? 

Notre Dame Football (14:33.421)
Yeah, definitely.

Chris Huston (14:31.0)

After a big game, when you finally get a quiet minute, where do you go on campus and what are you thinking about?

Jeremiyah Love (14:41.546)
I just go back to my own space. I go back to my apartment, sit in my room and watch film of the game, evaluate how I did, just think about what I need to do better immediately. I'm always criticizing myself, always just looking for ways that I can get better. So after every game, I just like to sit, sit in my own space and just evaluate how I did.

And then immediately just look for ways I can do better the next time. And yeah, just my own space.

Chris Huston (15:12.268)
Yeah.

Chris Huston (15:16.366)
First two games, kind of got off to a slow start. Were you hard on yourself? Were you doubting things? What did you go through trying to get back on track this past week against Purdue?

Jeremiyah Love  (15:28.143)
I would say there was never a doubt in my mind that I had the ability to do the things that I needed to do. It's just a feeling I had of what can I do better to make sure that on this play I'm having success, or I'm doing what I need to do in order to help my team win. The first two weeks were hard. First game didn't go like how I wanted it to. Didn't get the yards that I wanted to get, didn't get a touchdown.

didn't have the carriers that I wanted. But at the end of the day, I had an opportunity to make a play throughout the times that I got the ball. And each of those times, I just didn't do what I needed to do or I wasn't in position to. But I just evaluate that. Then I'll go on to the next game in Texas A &M. I had plenty of opportunities to do what I needed to do. I made a couple plays, had two touchdowns. But I always feel like I can do better.

So I evaluated that game, then heading into Purdue. Even still, I feel like there were things that I could have did to have even more success. I have scored more touchdowns, could have made more people miss. I'm never complacent. I'm just always looking for ways to get better, because I want to be perfect. I know that it'll never be a reality, but I want to get very, very close to that. And my way of doing that is...

Constantly criticizing myself, never being okay with having just one explosive play. I want every play to be explosive.

Chris Huston (17:02.476)
Have you always been like that or did someone teach you that?

Jeremiyah Love (17:06.351)
It's just always been me. Like it's just who I am. Like I don't, I'm not okay with, you know, me going out there and say I get like 10 carries. I'm not okay with me going out there and scoring a touchdown and having maybe 30 yards. Like that's not okay with like each one of those carries. I want to take it to the crib. That's how I think in my head. When I get 10 carries, I want to score 10 touchdowns or whatever it may be. want to.

Chris Huston (17:23.788)
Yeah.

Chris Huston (17:31.032)
Yeah.

Jeremiyah Love (17:36.207)
do the best that I can, do what I need to do every single opportunity that I get. Make the best out of every single opportunity. That's how I've always been, that's how I've always thought. And the people that I'm surrounded with can constantly reinforce that thinking. Like my mom, my dad, know, just go out there and be yourself, go out there and help your team. My coaches, go out there and be yourself. It's constantly reinforced every day throughout my life.

Chris Huston (17:59.148)
Yeah. What's a talent you have that no one knows about?

Jeremiyah Love  (18:03.503)
play the piano. I learned how play the piano in middle school. So I do not play traditional piano songs. I play anime music. I'm a big... yeah I love anime.

Chris Huston (18:04.904)
what's your go-to song?

Chris Huston (18:14.326)
Is that right?

Jeremiyah Love (18:20.001)
Song I can say I can play is from my favorite anime. It's called Seven Daily Sins. This song is one of my favorite songs of literally like anime, like history of all time. And I don't like, it's been a while since I watched Seven Daily Sins. I don't know the name of the song, but I know it's like Nanatsu no Tai, Nanatsu no Taizai something. And yeah, I can play this pretty long song.

Chris Huston (18:40.078)
Yeah.

Jeremiyah Love (18:49.007)
It's like a slow.

Chris Huston (18:49.23)
You just learned it by ear or did you get the music? Ah, right. And finally, you know, when fans talk about you years from now, what do you think they're going to say about Jeremiah Love in order to get him running back?

Jeremiyah Love (18:52.973)
YouTube, YouTube can teach you a lot of things.

Jeremiyah Love  (19:04.687)
I hope that they say I was a good football player. I hope that they say that I was special. I made a lot of spectacular plays. I hope that they say I was one of the best to come out another day. And I hope those things, but I got to go out there and put in the work for those people to believe those things at the end of the day.

Got to go out there and have a great rest of my season. Got to go out there and perform every single game the way that I want to perform. And yeah.

Chris Huston (19:40.206)
All right. Well, Jeremiah Love, thank you so much for coming on the show. Good luck against Arkansas this coming weekend and the rest of season. And who knows, maybe we'll see you New York down the road.

Jeremiyah Love (19:50.411)
Thank you.

Chris Huston (19:51.256)
Thank you.