Jeremiyah Love Self-Expectations In Lockstep With Cardinals Needs

Running back expects to share workload with others in room

Jun 22, 2026 at 12:35 PM

azcardinals.com

Running back Jeremiyah Love makes a move during an OTA in May.

Jeremiyah Love was the guy in college.

That's what happens when you rush for more than 1,100 yards in back-to-back seasons, score 20 all-purpose touchdowns in consecutive campaigns, and finish your junior year as the recipient of the Doak Walker award and finalist for the Heisman Trophy.

That's the bar.

"I haven't seen what that looks like in the NFL" love said. "I think a lot of guys probably don't score that many touchdowns, but that's the goal I set for myself. Everything is about the team. If you make sure you're doing your part on a team, those things will come."

Jonathan Taylor was the only non-quarterback to have 20 offensive touchdowns in 2025, showing it uncommon for a running back to reach the end zone as often as Love did in college. At Notre Dame, Love was in a league of his own. He was a 2025 unanimous All-American selection after averaging nearly seven yards per carry.

The NFL is a totally different beast, something which the Cardinals first-round pick has realized. Since joining the team, it's been the guidance from James Conner and Tyler Allgeier that's been beneficial, which he compared to his freshman year with the Irish when he shared a room with current New Orleans Saint Audric Estime and Seattle Seahawk Jadarian Price.

"I've been trying to focus on getting information about how you maintain your body," Love said. "How you go about your day-to-day, and how you keep your mental working so you can go out there every day and do what you got to do."

Having shared a running back room with NFL talent since he was 18, Love has grown comfortable with splitting carries. That distribution between Love, Conner, Allgeier, and Trey Benson, is one of the main storylines heading into training camp.

Before the Cardinals broke camp for the summer, Mike LaFleur made waves in the fantasy football community for saying "you're not taking the hot hand out" when it comes to a running back getting into a rhythm. By taking Love with the third pick in the draft, he's expected to see a majority of the snaps. However, there are other weapons within the offense that will see a healthy workload.

"Being in the big leagues, all of the pressure is not going to be on me," Love said. "You don't need one guy going out there and getting 30 carries a game. We've got 21 games this season potentially, so that's not going to be too good in the long run. But I love being around guys that are great at football."

A month from Monday, the Cardinals will report to training camp at State Farm Stadium. A majority of the players have left the building to enjoy a vacation before the grind of an NFL season. Love and his rookie classmates remain in town as they acclimate to the NFL.

They will get some time off before camp begins. Love is staying in town, and while he'll enjoy time away, it's not time off since he said each day will feature something to prepare him for the season.

A season that he hopes comes with personal accolades, but as a byproduct of team success.

"The rest of the time this break is to train my body to get prepared for training camp so I'm ready to play actual football," Love said. "The mentality is all gas, no breaks until the time training camp comes, and once training camp comes I'm prepared and I'm ready to go."