Coming into the offseason, it was all but destiny that Jeremiyah Love would be the number one running back in the 2026 NFL draft. In his incredible sophomore season, Love put up over 1300 total yards and 19 total touchdowns, and even had a rushing touchdown in every regular season game for Notre Dame last year.
The expectations for Love were sky high this season, but what almost no one expected was the emergence of his backup, Jadarian Price.
Last year for Notre Dame, Price looked solid, posting over 750 yards and seven rushing touchdowns. The Fighting Irish had one of the best RB duos in football, and Price had the opportunity to transfer in the offseason but chose to run it back for 2025. So far, that decision has paid off, and Price and Love both have impressed scouts this season.
Starting with Love, who is clearly the top RB in the draft, he has been great and has exceeded the sky-high expectations fans had for him this season. Through seven games, Love is just shy of 100 yards from scrimmage with 12 total touchdowns, tied for second in the FBS. His unique blend of speed, burst, and power will put him up there with past top prospects like Robinson, Barkley, and Jeanty.
But the real story of the season has been Price, who may be the most underrated prospect in college football right now. He has been heavily overshadowed by Love, and many fans may not even know his name, but he is not only a legitimate NFL prospect; he has a case to be the number two back in this year’s class.
Love is the clear number one, but behind him, there is a debate for who comes in at RB 2, and I would make the argument that Price belongs in the conversation. Justice Haynes and Jonah Coleman both have a case, and I have very similar grades on all three guys in the conversation.
Haynes has 900 scrimmage yards and is likely the best pure runner out of the group. Coleman leads the nation in total touchdowns with 15, three higher than the rest of the competition, and has been utterly dominant for Washington. But while Price does not have the production, you can see the skills on film.
Price has impressive power and is one of the best players in the nation, breaking tackles and making guys miss in space. He has incredible vision out of the backfield, running with impressive patience, and is not afraid to let his offensive line work and create a lane for him to work. He is not a great receiving back, but is a high-quality pass blocker, which allows him to impact the game on every down.
This Notre Dame group is the best RB room we have seen in a long time, and the Love/Price duo will go down with guys like Chubb/Michel, Mixon/Perine, and Jacobs/Harris/Harris. Long story short, while Jeremiyah Love has gotten all the (no pun intended) love in this year’s class, his teammate deserves to be recognized as one of this year’s top running backs as well.
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