Jeremiyah Love has quickly become one of the most closely watched rookies of the 2026 NFL season. The former Notre Dame running back was selected by the Arizona Cardinals with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft after a spectacular junior season.
Love entered the NFL after producing 1,372 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns on 199 carries in 2025. He also added 27 receptions for 280 yards and three receiving touchdowns, finishing with 21 total touchdowns.
Jeremiyah Love Stats
Love’s final college season showed why the Cardinals were willing to use such a high draft selection on a running back.
In 12 games for Notre Dame in 2025, Love recorded:
- 199 rushing attempts
- 1,372 rushing yards
- 6.9 yards per carry
- 18 rushing touchdowns
- 27 receptions
- 280 receiving yards
- 3 receiving touchdowns
- 21 total touchdowns
He finished his Notre Dame career with 2,882 rushing yards, 594 receiving yards and 42 total touchdowns.
Love’s 2025 campaign also earned him major individual recognition. He was a Heisman Trophy finalist and won the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s top running back.
Is Jeremiyah Love Playing Today?
Love played in Arizona’s preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday, August 13, 2026. The Cardinals won 27-14, and Love made his NFL preseason debut after sitting out the Hall of Fame Game against Carolina.
Love finished his debut with 11 carries for 58 yards and three receptions for 14 yards, giving him 72 yards from scrimmage on 14 touches.
As of Friday, August 14, Love is not scheduled to play today because Arizona’s game against Las Vegas has already been completed. The Cardinals’ next preseason matchup is against the Dallas Cowboys on August 22.
Jeremiyah Love Injury Update
The biggest concern following Love’s preseason debut is an ankle injury.
Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur said after the game that Love suffered an ankle injury but did not believe it was serious. LaFleur also indicated that Love could have returned if necessary and was confident the rookie would be able to practice during the week.
That makes the current injury outlook relatively positive, although Love’s practice participation should be monitored before Arizona’s next preseason game.
When Was Jeremiyah Love Drafted?
The Arizona Cardinals selected Love No. 3 overall in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
The selection made Love the highest-drafted running back since 2018. He entered the draft after two outstanding seasons at Notre Dame, including 40 touchdowns from scrimmage across the 2024 and 2025 campaigns.
His selection ended months of speculation about where one of the draft’s most explosive offensive players would land.
Jeremiyah Love Contract
Love signed his rookie contract with Arizona on May 8, 2026.
The deal is a four-year contract worth approximately $53.02 million, with the entire contract fully guaranteed. It includes a signing bonus of roughly $35.02 million and carries an average annual value of approximately $13.26 million.
The contract is especially notable because the $53 million in guaranteed money established a new NFL record for a running back.
Love’s contract runs through the 2029 season, keeping him under his rookie deal for the first four years of his NFL career.
Why Jeremiyah Love Is Important to the Cardinals
Arizona invested heavily in Love because of his combination of explosiveness, receiving ability and efficiency as a runner.
At Notre Dame, he averaged 6.7 yards per carry across his college career and finished with 42 total touchdowns. His ability to contribute as both a runner and receiver gives the Cardinals another way to create mismatches.
His preseason debut also offered an early glimpse of that potential. Love showed the quickness and creativity that made him such a highly regarded prospect, producing several highlight plays before leaving with the ankle issue.
Final Thoughts
Jeremiyah Love enters the 2026 NFL season with enormous expectations after being selected third overall by the Arizona Cardinals. His Notre Dame stats, record-setting rookie contract and explosive preseason debut all point to a major role in Arizona’s offense.
The immediate storyline is his ankle injury. The positive news is that the Cardinals do not currently believe it is serious, and Love is expected to have an opportunity to practice before Arizona’s next preseason game.
For fans searching for Jeremiyah Love stats, whether Jeremiyah Love is playing today, his draft position, contract details or injury status, the rookie’s first preseason appearance provided plenty of reasons for optimism while also giving Arizona a reason to manage his workload carefully.
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