Jeremiyah gets all the Love in the Notre Dame backfield, but overlook Jadarian Price at your peril. The fourth-year running back has never been tasked with a full workload, but he showcased his capability last fall when asked to run the rock 120 times during the Fighting Irish’s run to the title game. He tallied 746 yards and seven scores while averaging 6.2 yards per carry, with 4.50 coming after contact.
At 5’9″ and 220 pounds, Terion Stewart has put the “bowling ball” into the Bowling Green Falcons for the past four seasons as one of the most dangerous rushers for defenders to attempt to contact. Heading into his fifth year, Stewart has made a living out of encouraging, embracing, and eliminating contact, routinely running over some of college football’s fiercest tacklers with ease.
A nickname like “Hollywood” suggests a flashiness without substance, and there are undoubtedly some finesse elements to what Daylan Smothers brings to the table as a former four-star running back. However, his success as a 5’11”, 195-pound redshirt-freshman for the NC State Wolfpack following a transfer from the Oklahoma Sooners is predicated on something entirely different.
Forget Riley Leonard. Forget an all-powerful defense. If you watched the Notre Dame Fighting Irish’s progress from a defeat to the Northern Illinois Huskies to a College Football National Championship berth, you know exactly what fueled that success. Jeremiyah Love ranks 11th in the top 25 running backs on after the contact yardage alone, but he’s comfortably the best returning rusher in 2025.
Isaac Brown had a sensational first season with the Louisville Cardinals, rushing for 1,173 yards and 11 touchdowns while averaging 7.1 yards per carry. A combination of some stellar offensive line play and his ability to evade contact ensured that he averaged 3.1 yards per carry before taking a hit, but he also added 4.06 yards per carry after contact.
