Overview
- Love declared via Instagram after Notre Dame’s 10-2 season ended when the Irish were left out of the College Football Playoff and chose not to play a bowl.
- He finished 2025 with 1,372 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns plus 27 catches for 280 yards and three scores, setting a school record with 21 total TDs.
- Love became Notre Dame’s first Doak Walker Award winner and placed third in Heisman voting, and he is widely projected as the draft’s top running back with first-round potential.
- Backup Jadarian Price announced his own draft entry the next day after a 2025 season with 674 rushing yards, 11 rushing touchdowns and multiple kickoff-return scores over two years.
- Next steps include the NFL Combine in Indianapolis in February and the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh from April 23–25, where Love is commonly mocked inside the top 10–15.