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- [00:00]
Sponsor Voice
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- [00:45]
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- [01:15]
Analyst 1
It's hard to follow up a running back class like the one we just had. But while there's a lot of Unknown in the 2026 class, at this position, Jeremiah Love stands out above the rest. Today we give the full treatment to Love while also offering a sneak peek into the top running back class, the group that's entering the 2025 college football season. And by the way, just 302 days from the NFL draft. Minch, you good?
- [01:42]
Analyst 2
I'm good, man.
- [01:43]
Analyst 1
Atta boy. Senor Tucker, Play me that summer beat, would you? Some people would say great way to start, just stumbling over my own own words. Some people would say we vastly overrated. Some people have said vastly overrated. This running back class in 2025, you guys were dead wrong. You said there was gonna be at least 30 running backs taken. Yeah, I thought there might be. There were 26. It was the most since 2017. It was a great group and we, we knew it. We, we warned everyone for a couple months leading up. You know what this is going to get? It's going to get backloaded. Just like 2017. There's going to be a ton of backs on day three. And that's what it was. There were, I want to say six. Six backs taken on the first two days of the draft. 26 in total, five in the first two rounds though and we know those names. Ashton, Genti, obviously Omari and Hampton. Then in round two it was. I think it's in this order off the top of my head. Quinshawn Judkins was surprised. Travion Henderson and Caleb Johnson for my correct. Is that right? Okay.
- [03:05]
Analyst 2
That's in the right order too. Yep.
- [03:06]
Analyst 1
Thank you. Good. This year's class is different. It's like how can you when you have 26 running backs selected and five in the first two rounds, two in the first round. Like there's only so many programs in, in college football and by the way, they all transfer to the same like 60 programs now. Right. So there's going to be turnover. There's going to be a lot of uncertainty and a lot of unknown. But one blue blood program with an absolute hoffs as its returning running back is Notre Dame with Jeremiah Love. Get into some quick, quickly. Let's get into some of the other names though because it is intriguing and there's been some movement. Jeremiah Loves the number one running back and we're going to break him down completely here after that. It's interesting. It's kind of a mixed bag mensch. C.J. baxter, considered by some scouts, like look out for this guy, you know, I mean Jaden Blue can wind up going in what, round four somewhere in that range as a back who barely touched the ball comparatively to some of the other guys who were drafted ahead in behind him. Baxter's just, he like he's returned. He red shirt sophomore, missed 2024 with that torn a right ACL like Texas had. It's unbelievable that they went as far as they did and had the offensive success that they did and had the success in the running game at times considering all the injuries and CJ Baxter being the like the guy. So he, he comes back. He brushed for 659 yards and five touchdowns as a true freshman in a rotation in 2023. Okay. And he'll share carries with Wisner who rushed for over a thousand yards this past year and probably one or two other backs beyond Baxter. The two Penn State guys, I'll be interested which one gets drafted first. We got a whole season this year but K Tron Allen and Nick Nicholas Singleton, right?
- [05:11]
Analyst 2
I, I love Allen. Singleton gets drafted first. He's. He's more speed, he's more versatile, he's more the NFL game. But K Tron Allen's going to be a really good pro too. I think. Singleton gets drafted first.
- [05:22]
Analyst 1
I think so too. Makai Hughes from Oregon. He transferred from Tulane. Man, he had some numbers. He posted 1982 rushing yards after contact his first two seasons in two lanes. Let me get, let me give you a little nugget here. A little nuggie for you Mensch on a Thursday in the summer. A little nuggie. Ashton Genti and Omarion Hampton were the only two that recorded more in that two year span. Both first.
- [05:55]
Analyst 2
There you go.
- [05:56]
Analyst 1
His 2776 rushing yards since 2023 are the most by any returning FBS back by 467 yards. Yeah, so now he transfers to a bigger program in Oregon. They obviously lose James Johnson. They're rolling out in Eugene. It's going to be fascinating to watch what he does there. Give you a few more names, you say whatever you want on them or any other backs you want. Jonah Coleman had a great season. Got nicked up towards the end or for Washington, right? Demon Claiborne, Wake Forest. He's fascinating. I'm excited to see him this year. And then our good old friend Jaden Ott, he was like third round coming into last year, day two he was at Cal. Did that 2023 season. We had 1305 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns but he got that ankle injury and like I remember being like what happened to Ott? What's going on with Otto? Because he's playing, you know, he's starting, he's in games but he's not the same. And then the, you know that the season kind of just spun out of control for him. But now he transfers to OU with our boy. Now he's all of our boys. He was Conor Nevins our boy in the beginning but now I can't get enough of this guy. And he doesn't tip off at 2am every Saturday. So we get to watch of him in Norman, Oklahoma. So that's going to be a fun backfield with. With OT and Matier. So where anything from you?
- [07:29]
Analyst 2
I would say I love big backs. I like the guys who have a 220, 225 plus and Jonah Coleman is five nine, 229. That's what he's listed at. He is a power back. He's. We'll see how he runs. But I, I'm intrigued by Coleman. Got a lot of work to do on these guys. This is what happens when the market gets flooded though is now there's a vacuum of power and you're going to see guys that we aren't talking about right now. They're going to be players that we are not Talking about who are going to step into that vacuum like a lot of right. And start competing for a top five spot in the position. So it'll be fun to watch. It's going to be a good year.
- [08:03]
Analyst 1
All right. Jeremiah Love, Notre Dame 2023 is a true freshman. He came in by the way. He's 6 foot 212. He's listed. I bet she's close to 218 this year. When he plays would be my guess. Estimated I've seen anywhere from 44 flat to 448 was kind of the range. I'll bet. I'll bet under the nova on this guy.
- [08:30]
Analyst 2
Yeah.
- [08:32]
Analyst 1
He led Christian Brothers High school to back to back state championships in football. That's in the state of Missouri. Also competed in track in high school. The long jumper he had. I forget it was like a personal best of 22 point something feet. I don't. I'm not a big track guy but I do know that 1076 is pretty damn fast in the 100 meters and he won the Missouri Class 5 state title in the 100 meter with that time. 2020, go ahead. 2023 comes into Notre Dame. He played in all 13 games, one start. Finished second on the team with just three hundred and eighty five rush yards, 5.4 yards per carry, one touchdown. Kind of a welcome to the bigs, kid. We get a rotation here. This is Notre Dame by the way. You'll get your time in the future. But it didn't take long. 2024 takes over full time starter. 16 games finished with 163 carries. The quarterback bailed him out in terms of like the punishment he took still towards the end of the year and we'll get into that was was knocked around. Wasn't the same guy. I think four. What do you have four carries in the. In the final game, the national championship. But 11:25, 17 touchdowns. He averaged 6.9 yards per carry and he also cut 28 passes for 237 yards and two more scores. So that's the backdrop. Let's play our favorite game. Mensch. One is best, five is worse. We're playing golf. The lower the score the better. One's excellent, Two's good, three's average, fours below average, fives marginal. You tell me as we go through the position specific traits which are Vision. Patience is one. The next one is agility, acceleration. Third one is power and balance. The fourth one is past protection. Sorry, I break it out myself. So you get secret society I haven't mentioned.
- [10:37]
Analyst 2
Oh, so now You're. Oh, here we go.
- [10:39]
Analyst 1
I give it. I just. I try to sort it out in my own.
- [10:42]
Analyst 2
I can adjust.
- [10:43]
Analyst 1
Go for passing. Go BLEEP yourself.
- [10:45]
Analyst 2
Yeah.
- [10:47]
Analyst 1
Passing game is the. Is the fifth one. All right, so you go first, and I. And I counter and tell you if you're crazy or if I love it. Vision, patience. What's your grade?
- [10:57]
Analyst 2
Is competitiveness. That's what I have first, is competitiveness. Is that. Is that different on your box?
- [11:02]
Analyst 1
Yeah, I guess I've just cheated and made my own boxes. What do you get for competitiveness?
- [11:07]
Analyst 2
One.
- [11:09]
Analyst 1
Absolutely. Ball security is off the charts. And the way he runs. Vision, patience.
- [11:15]
Analyst 2
2.
- [11:17]
Analyst 1
I went 1 5.
- [11:19]
Analyst 2
Okay.
- [11:19]
Analyst 1
Same neighborhood. Agility, acceleration.
- [11:23]
Analyst 2
1 5.
- [11:25]
Analyst 1
Bingo. Same here. Power balance.
- [11:29]
Analyst 2
2.
- [11:31]
Analyst 1
I went 1 5. But I can live with your grade. Passing game.
- [11:36]
Analyst 2
2.
- [11:38]
Analyst 1
I went 3.
- [11:40]
Analyst 2
I get why you went 3. I get why you Went 3. And then I'm gonna make the argument of why you're wrong, because I already. I've already had that debate in my own head, so I'm. I'm fully prepared for your. Whatever you're gonna say. Say I play the pros and cons game.
- [11:55]
Analyst 1
Let's get into it. Then you start. What do you got?
- [11:59]
Analyst 2
I think juice is the first word that comes up when you. When you watch this guy, he gets a lane and he can go. Like I said, he can scoot. That's. You know, he can see you later. And you don't only see that there are some guys who have that long speed, you know those. You know, that smooth buildup, long speed who aren't as explosive. This guy's got some. He can hesitate a little bit, give his blocker a chance to get in position. And you see that explosive burst through the line of damage.
- [12:28]
Analyst 1
Different than with him as a 210. Let's call him like 215. As like a 215 back. That's good trending. By the time he gets drafted, he's going to be right around 220, which is kind of where you and I agree. We like to see our backs. I think that's what's different with him than. Than most other guys. It doesn't take him but to reach.
- [12:50]
Analyst 2
He goes, man, yeah. And it jumps out. It jumps out on tape.
- [12:54]
Analyst 1
Right. Like, I. Like, go ahead.
- [12:57]
Analyst 2
I. I think maybe one of the downfalls with how explosive and fast he is is there are a couple times I got the Forrest Gump cut, and what I call the Forrest Gump cut is when a back turns his shoulders directly towards the sideline. And you are never coaching that as a running back coach. You remember when Forrest Gump was, was that Alabama? You guys remember this career in Alabama?
- [13:17]
Analyst 1
Yeah, yeah.
- [13:17]
Analyst 2
He's returning a kick and he just turned sideways. And the coaches, the players like, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. There was a couple times where he actually turns his shoulders towards the sidelines and then gets out of, contain, gets outside, contained. Now in the NFL, I don't think you're gonna do that to the benefit of the doubt for the players that the, the force player lost. Contain. And he knew he just had to get outside. And so maybe he saw, maybe he made the read okay. But there are some times where I'm like, maybe he leans on the burst and explosiveness a little bit too much and let's get up field. Not a lot. It's not a big issue. It's popped up a couple of times in my head. The other thing I'll say about this is especially early on, I couldn't tell if it was the, the way he was wearing his socks or tights underneath his, his pads. It looked like he was very high cut. And I do think he's a little bit of a high cut player. And when I watch Heik. Yeah, when I see those guys, I get concerned about their ability to change directions and I get concerned about their power. This dude can sink his hips and make a violent cut and make a guy embarrass dudes in the hole, embarrass guys in tight spaces and then the power. He is strong man. He is, he is you. I mean, I'm sure we're going to talk about this a little bit. That Penn State touchdown, it's a two yard touchdown run in the playoffs to put Penn State ahead. It was 10:10 at the time. Beginning of the fourth quarter, he's playing on a knee injury. That again, we'll talk about. But he's playing with a knee injury and he refuses to go down. I mean he will not be denied. I think four, I counted four, maybe five defenders had a chance to get him on the ground and he just wasn't having it. And he gets into the end zone. So you look at that, that just core strength, that power, the ability to break tackles, the ability to make guys miss. And you add that on to the patience. You add that onto the burst and the speed. He's an impressive player. He is an impressive player. There are some flaws we'll get into. I, you know, we'll talk about the passing game a little bit and How I think he can get better in those areas. So two things that I really like about him in the passing game. One is he's willing and he's strong in pass protection. He's got to get better, but he's willing and he's strong. And the second is he's a problem after the catch. He is going to be a problem after the catch. They like to get him a little involved. Well, they're put him out wide or in the slot, run some tunnel screens with him, get him, get in the ball, in space. He is hard to tackle with one dude after the catch. So there's some things that can improve there. I don't think he always catches the ball cleanly. I think the hands could be a little bit better. He's not a polished route runner. I also think he's not a polished pass blocker. I think he likes to lean with his shoulder. He'll give the. If you read them right, the defender knows which way to go, and that could be more of a problem. Also could be a little quicker identifying assignments. These are little things he's got to clean up at pass, bro. But he's got some pop and he's willing and he'll step up and meet dudes and he'll do it between the tackles or if picking up guys off the edge. He's again, I think, a younger player. It's very encouraging what he was showing last year in pass, bro.
- [16:13]
Analyst 1
All right, folks, that's our show on Jeremiah Love. We'll see you on Monday. No, that was great. That was great.
- [16:21]
Analyst 2
I got a comp, too, and. Yeah, why not, right?
- [16:24]
Analyst 1
Yeah.
- [16:25]
Analyst 2
Same build. Same build. Yeah, Just take the day off. You're good. Same build.
- [16:29]
Analyst 1
My headphones work.
- [16:32]
Analyst 2
This is the comp. This. This comp is why I didn't give him a one in. In acceleration and agility, because this guy's a little bit different than the comp. But he's got the same build and sort of the same running style as Darren McFadden did at Arkansas. He reminds me a little bit of Darren McFadden. Now, Darren McFadden. Now, Darren McFan ran a 43 3. And I don't think that love is quite there, but they are both explosive, and they both have not only that explosive versus the hole, but that explosive power like Jeremiah Love. If he has to. If you got him in a. In a tight space in a hallway, he will try to run through you. He's not just a guy that's going to make guys miss and try to get around you. He will use that explosive burst to lower his shoulder and try to run through you. That kind of reminded me of McFadden and then McFadden. I mean, I just went back and watched the highlights. Man, that guy was fun to watch. When he was at Arkansas, I mean, when he got a crease, it was see you later. And it didn't matter if it was lsu, it didn't matter if it was Georgia. It didn't matter who he was going against, man, he was gone. And so I don't think he's quite on that level as McFadden. But Shades, we talk about comps. Shades. Shades of McFadden with love, in my opinion.
- [17:40]
Analyst 1
And when McFadden needed a breather, Felix Jones came in and ripped one off for 75 yards. Both first round running backs.
- [17:47]
Analyst 2
Peyton Hillis was in that backfield, too, man.
- [17:49]
Analyst 1
Peyton Hillis, too.
- [17:50]
Analyst 2
Yeah. There was like, McFadden throwing passes to Hillis. It was wild, man.
- [17:56]
Analyst 1
It was like the. The golden era of running backs. Like, remember just a couple years before Cadillac Williams? Yes. Right. Couldn't find a quarterback. Couldn't find a lick of quarterback play in that conference for like a decade.
- [18:12]
Analyst 2
But the running back, defense and backs and offensive linemen. Yeah, There you go.
- [18:15]
Analyst 1
Yep. Wow.
- [18:20]
Analyst 2
I obviously.
- [18:20]
Analyst 1
Awesome.
- [18:21]
Analyst 2
I obviously like him.
- [18:22]
Analyst 1
You like, Love. Yeah. Where to go from here? I saw some shades of three different backs. I don't want to pin one guy, but just some shades. I actually think there's some similarities with Bijan.
- [18:39]
Analyst 2
Okay.
- [18:40]
Analyst 1
I saw some similarities with Breece Hall.
- [18:44]
Analyst 2
These are all good names to be connected to, man.
- [18:46]
Analyst 1
Oh, hell yeah. And even some Joe Mixon.
- [18:50]
Analyst 2
Wow.
- [18:51]
Analyst 1
A little bit of Joe Mixon.
- [18:53]
Analyst 2
All those guys are a little bit heavier, right? Those are all 220 plus guys. Maybe not Bijan. Bijan might be 215.
- [18:59]
Analyst 1
I think Bijan was like 217, something like that.
- [19:03]
Analyst 2
Okay.
- [19:03]
Analyst 1
Breeze was like 220 when he came out. 222.
- [19:07]
Analyst 2
Yeah.
- [19:09]
Analyst 1
I thought mix was like 2:18, but yeah, they were all in that range. And I think he's going to be in that range. The. Bijan was kind of like the. The acceleration in Breeze, too. That, like, acceleration, whether it's after the catch or when they, you know.
- [19:27]
Analyst 2
Yeah.
- [19:28]
Analyst 1
Yes. Breeze more polished in the passing game. No question about it. Yeah. Anyways, those are three boxes that I kind of look through that. That shades of. Okay. I like his instincts as a runner. There are times when he dances a little bit. There are like Indiana, they forced him to bounce some stuff outside. They did a Good job. But there were some, like even one of his, like, I don't want better run. But it was interesting. Like a Virginia touchdown run inside the five yard line. It was 1309, second quarter. I just found a sweet cut. It was a cut back to the outside, but kind of like what you talked about, like, can he, can he work laterally that way in the NFL? There's some stuff that he can improve on. But like when he's working downhill is what, like, you know, the inside handoff with the, with the pick and slide and, and what I love about him is a lot of guys can pick and a lot of guys can slide. But can you be doing that dance? And I don't mean dancing as a negative. I mean like that, that dance that every good running back has when they're. It's. And I don't mean dancing, I mean like that. Where's it going to be? I'm watching the blocks in front of me. I'm waiting, I'm waiting, I'm waiting. But there's going to be a moment of truth and hit. Like when I think he does a really good job in those situations. He's advancing the run, it's moving, moving. And then. But when it's time to go, he is.
- [21:08]
Analyst 2
I'm always looking for it. Play 21 against Miami Ohio. I know it's Miami Ohio, but play 21 against Miami Ohio. I was like, oh, there it is. I got it. He's. He does that and he can do that. And again it separates great backs from good backs. I saw it right then. It was patience. And as soon as he had a gap, as soon as guys were set with their blocks, he was gone. I mean, he was just so fast in the hole. It was crazy.
- [21:30]
Analyst 1
Yeah, and I saw it inside and out, like downhill. Pick and slide, sharp cut, then grind with balance and power. At the end of a run. That's a Note. I put 405. Second quarter of Texas A and M. Okay. Inside run, hurdles, defenders, then drags tacklers. Oppressive contact balance. Takes a three yard gain, turns it into 10. Started with vision. That's 13:10. Second quarter of Georgia Tech sweep to the left. Fourth quarter, Georgia Tech follows his block. Patience. Then makes a one defender, miss subtle little cutback and walks in for six. There were Virginia, second, second quarter, 14:56. This is when he's at his best. Downhill charging, patient, but then explode. If you want to see. If I had to, like, it doesn't show all of his traits and all that, but if you want to See, what I think is going to make him special. Go to 14:56. Second quarter. First play from scrimmage of the second quarter for them, I guess, or maybe second, whatever. That's like him at his best. Downhill charging, but patient and using that. Like, he's kind of light on his feet and maneuvers for a tall, for.
- [22:41]
Analyst 2
A high cut guy. Yeah, yeah.
- [22:45]
Analyst 1
And so I love that about it. I also think, like, he's got this really cool combination when it comes to his power and his contact balance. He is an upright runner. And so, like, I think what. What's cool to watch is. And I remember, like, Cadillac Williams had this. It can run a little high and have a lot of pads as a target for a defender, but when you go to get them, it's slippery. It's like this subtle shoulder move. It's this lean with your butt. So my target goes from this. You know what I mean? Let's call it a foot, Foot and a half of a target that you think you have as a defender. And all of a sudden you go to get the moment of truth, the point of contact, and it's like this. It's like 4 or 5 inches somehow, like, it's like this thing, and then they're bouncing off and the. The legs are going. And he's not one of those, like, churn or like, even, like, he's like, kind of sweetness, like a poetry in motion type thing, bouncing off, break this tackle. And then at the end of every run, though, is when it changes. It goes from this, like, slippery contact balance where he. He just kind of has those instincts, right? And, like, you never get in a full target to, like, all right, I'm. I'm done. But your work here isn't done. Do you know what I mean?
- [24:10]
Analyst 2
Yeah, it's float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, man. Like, he is. He's floating through there and he's doing his thing. And all a sudden then when he.
- [24:16]
Analyst 1
Knows, like, all right, I'm going to end. This run is over. This run is over. But I'm going to get. I'm going to drag you, and I'm going to get five or six or even two or three. But I'm always going to make you work hard now. And so it goes from this sweet. Yeah, I mean, yeah, I like it, Ali. Yeah, it's like this sweet, poetic running style. And then all of a sudden at the end, it's like, fuck you. You want to bring me down, you're gonna have to pay. Right.
- [24:47]
Analyst 2
Now, we. We do have to talk about the fact that he did, he did hurt his knee at the end of the year against USA and it, it affected him in the playoffs. Not getting, not so much. By the way, the Indiana game, he's coming off a knee injury and he's battling, he's sick and he has a monster game. He had the 98 yard run. He was a big difference in that game. But the for the next three games, Georgia, Penn State, Ohio State, not the same dude. Six carries, 11 carries, four carries. Right now we all are, we are also talking about a guy who only I think he averaged 10.2 carries per game and you could say those, those three games had an impact. It did. He only had more than 15 carries of one game though, Virginia, and that was 16. This is not a heavy workload guy yet. You know Riley Leonard, you're right, Riley Leonard took a lot of the load off of him.
- [25:36]
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- [26:05]
Analyst 1
Psst.
- [26:06]
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- [26:35]
Analyst 1
So what does that look like this.
- [26:37]
Analyst 2
Year and you're now and also you're hearing in in in spring and I think you're going to be extra cautious. Let's not read too much into things but in spring he's tweaked his hamstring. He had to come out of a practice is we're going to be looking at durability for him like we would be for every other back and keeping an eye on is this a thing now the knee injury he never had surgery is my understanding. I looked it up. I didn't I don't think it's anything that required surgery and he was obviously able to Play on it. But he wasn't the same dude after the USC game, you know, Again, Indiana was great, but he had the 98 yard run was the bulk of the production and all of that. So that's something we're gonna have to keep an eye on for his durability.
- [27:13]
Analyst 1
Is it going to be what C.J. carr, quarterback?
- [27:17]
Analyst 2
Is that who it is? I don't know.
- [27:19]
Analyst 1
I don't know. I mean, there's, I've heard competition. I actually was on the goal the other day and I want to say they thought the car was going to be the guy I know they got. Was it Minchi? Kenny Minchi and Steve and. And Jelly or Angeli?
- [27:33]
Analyst 2
Yes, right. Fan favorite. So.
- [27:41]
Analyst 1
But that will be interesting to watch. And ideally, ideally, he has another 170, 200 carry year and enters the league with under 500 carries.
- [27:54]
Analyst 2
Great. But he's got to stay healthy with that small workload too.
- [27:57]
Analyst 1
Right.
- [27:58]
Analyst 2
You know?
- [27:59]
Analyst 1
Right. But I, I love the fact that he didn't fumble the ball once. He's in complete control of that football. Go ahead.
- [28:09]
Analyst 2
There was a couple times, the Western Kentucky game, he got in and he was in, but the ball came out at the end. And I think it was a little bit of a coaching moment. Like, you know, we've said before, it was a little bit of a coaching moment. He got the sideline like, hey man, let's make sure that things tucked away so we're not leaving any doubt. And there's a couple times where he gets away from his frame, but again, he's. He does these things where you're like, oh, that's not great. But he's also. There was. When the ball does drift, he's in no danger of losing it where he is on the field. So you got to kind of give him the benefit of the doubt when he knows where he can get away with certain things. Again, the Forrest Gump cut, it's not something you traditionally coach, but he got outside of contain and he turns the corner and it ends up being a great play. So when you have a guy who has a unique burst, the unique speed, you coach him a little bit differently. And there are different rules for those kinds of guys. Now if he can do it in the NFL, I don't know. And probably an NFL coach is gonna be like, let's cut the. With that. We're not going to do that here. That's probably not going to work as well. But if you can get away with at the college level, do it, man. So there's Little things. Like there's little things he can work on pass pro. I think you get better. I think he'd be a little more cleaner catching the football, develop as a route runner. He's got areas to improve on, but man, for a guy who's got one year as the full time starter, this is exciting.
- [29:20]
Analyst 1
I try not to overthink running backs anymore. I feel like I used to earlier in my scouting career. I spent a lot of time talking to the Broncos guys and their personnel department and like the one cut and go and that's like their scheme. They're great at identifying those players. That's why they got all. All like Terrell Davis and all those guys every year a thousand, thousand yard rusher and drafting him in the fifth, fourth, fifth, sixth round, you know, and there's all these different run styles and everything can look different. So the, the two things I. There's three things that I gen. Generally try to lean on with running backs and we'll work. I don't want to say reverse order, but the first is can they in pass pro not. Do they have they? Can they. And that's lower on the totem pole, but it's a. Can they and are they competitive enough? Do I see it like, is it a technique thing? Do they not. Are they not. You can they. Is one of the things. The second part is.
- [30:26]
Analyst 2
Does love pass the test for? Can they pass?
- [30:29]
Analyst 1
Yes.
- [30:29]
Analyst 2
Okay.
- [30:30]
Analyst 1
Because he's. He's big. I've seen flashes. I think he gets. I don't want to say lazy, but I want to see more attention to detail.
- [30:38]
Analyst 2
I think that's fair.
- [30:39]
Analyst 1
Attention to the craft. I think he's. I don't. It's like the easy way out or just. It's. It's not like lazy or easy way. It's just show me that every play is like your life, your career, your. Your, Your position, your role is. Is. Is on the line. Because I saw that from. From Judkins and Henderson, you know, so I want to see a little bit more of that because he. Because he's big, he's strong, he can do all of it. And I saw flashes even as a run blocker. Second level going there's a couple times.
- [31:17]
Analyst 2
Yeah.
- [31:18]
Analyst 1
So he can. Right?
- [31:19]
Analyst 2
Yeah.
- [31:20]
Analyst 1
Can he. In the passing game? Absolutely. And can he be a difference maker? Yes, absolutely. Now we're gonna get. We're gonna get on the jugs machine and we're gonna work on routes and we're gonna do different things because I think there's more to what he can provide as a receiver, I really do. When you catch a ball, Was it Florida State? No, the angle. That was the angle route where he caught. That was actually a nice catch where he had a lunge behind the linebacker and make the catch. That was Florida State442, second quarter Georgia Tech game. Keep referring to that. It's the first page of my notes here. So whatever. That was an example. He catches the ball on a check down over the middle, breaks it to the outside like he catches, turns and flies. I'm talking a standstill looking at the quarterback five yards from the line of scrimmage, catches the ball with back turn to the defense and to get from load to arrival again. Right? We talked about that with all the quarterbacks and we talked about it with, with Caleb Downs at safety. I'm talking about like the millisecond. He catches it with his back turn to the defense, stationary position to get, accelerate, get turned the corner and turn that five yard check down into a 25 yard game. There's a lot of juice there, man. You said it earlier, juice.
- [32:48]
Analyst 2
He's rarely tackled by the first defender after the catch. He's rarely, rarely the first guy that gets there. You better rally to him like that's. He'll make you pay.
- [32:56]
Analyst 1
And that's a huge. Like that is a monster part of the game in the NFL. Let's not overcomplicate this thing, can he? So now it's my job as an offensive coordinator, as a position coach. Let's improve his hands, let's work on some routes, let's advance his game. But we're going to make him a factor in the passing game because there's not many guys who are going to be pushing 220 pounds when they come in the league that can catch the ball and accelerate the way he does with his back turn of the defense and catch that right edge in the, on the defense and turn that corner. Okay, and then the third part, and I'm working in reverse order because this is the most important part. The second most important part is the passing game. The third most important part to me is he's got to be able to protect or else we got a problem. And, and it doesn't have to be all the time. It doesn't have to be great. But can he. The first thing is, does he create his own yards? So we talk about vision and patience and speed and agility and acceleration and power and contact balance, all these buzzwords that are important and allow us to communicate and allows a scout to communicate to other scouts and cross checks and to college directors and to general managers. They're all important aspects. They're traits that we all analyze. And I've seen some teams that have like 70 traits it feels like and some teams it's like 10 or 10 or 12 for whatever it is where you all kind of talking about the same thing. But I've gotten better at evaluating running backs. Not my opinion, just like I track it every year when I've. When I've stopped trying to over complicate this. How. How do. No not how do they do they create yards on their own.
- [34:49]
Analyst 2
I think that Penn State touchdowns exhibit A. I mean that is. And you no shot that he's scoring.
- [34:54]
Analyst 1
There and you can do it with power there. And on this catch after the catch, he does it with speed. And I told told you about plazers pick and slide and the 99 yard one. There wasn't a whole lot of beauty or vision or sharp cutting or wiggle or power or anything else. It just right inside handoff, takes it left, figures out going off tackle here and then that's 10, 7, 600 meter sprint comes in right. So there's different ways to do it. Second quarter Virginia game that I told you before, walking in for six. It was this sweet little lateral cut and can he. I don't know if he can but like it's little like it. And we talked about whether it's slippery and then you look at it over the season you say well this guy only had what was. Was 163, so he had 191 offensive touches. Well, he generated 64 missed tackles forced. And with some guys you're like yeah, that was the speed or he's great at like stick his planting his foot in the dirt and accelerating. He's a great fit for the Shanahan offense if he does that. This guy is shifty and all that with all the guys we talked about. Right. What I, what I really appreciate about his game is there's a whole bunch of ways he does it. He does it with that 4 4ish speed. He does it with that sharp cut. He does it with the pick and slide. He does it with the, you know, the, the dip, the, the body, the small target. He does it with by being slippery, he does it by breaking arm tackles and then he does it with the five yards at the end of runs. That's a bunch of ways. That's why I like him. I think they're just a bunch of ways. Go ahead.
- [36:50]
Analyst 2
Something else that jumped out to me when I'm watching his explosive runs and then just his speed and it kept, I kept seeing it. I was like, wow, these Notre Dame receivers are blocking their ass off out here, man.
- [37:00]
Analyst 1
They are just.
- [37:00]
Analyst 2
They are, they are fighting and. And then it dawns on me, I'm like, of course they are. They know that if they can secure that block, if they can stay, you know, just stay on the guy for two, three seconds, they've got a chance of this being a game changing play. You know, it's not like they're out there like, I'm not blocking for this 4, 7 ass.
- [37:19]
Analyst 1
You better block and Notre Dame, because you don't get to run routes very often anyway, right?
- [37:23]
Analyst 2
But there, you know, there's some guys out there like, man, this guy's never going to get here. He's never going to turn the corner and go. But when you got a guy like Jeremiah, Love it makes receivers. I really believe this. It makes receivers want to work because they know the tape's going to show up in either one of two things is going to happen. Either that running backs running 75 yards of the house and you look great, or you're a guy makes the play and it prevents you from your offense from having a game. Shifting play. So it's something that just stood out to me. I was like, man, these guys really work for him. They really want to secure their blocks, they really want to stay.
- [37:53]
Analyst 1
That's an interesting point. I can't think of a great program where you don't say, when you're done watching the tape, boy, those receivers block, boy, Ohio State, Michigan, Alabama, Georgia, even Oregon, Penn State. Think about it. I just. You just brought that to my head. Like, think about it. Yeah, it's a sign of like, respect for the program, right? And then when you have a guy like Love who, you know, like, I could. And by the way, if you're in it for you, if you're just in it for you, but you. But you got to fall in line with the program. You know what stands out to me more than anything? Like, we see unbelievable climb the ladder, catches, plucks and runs and all this stuff, breaking ankles. When I see a receiver 20 yards downfield and he flashes, I don't give a damn what year it is. And like when I am watching a different player and I see that as an evaluator, I'm rewinding, pausing, finding that number. Maybe he's a freshman. Mental note. Maybe he's in this class. Physical note. You know what I mean, yeah, side tangent based off of a really good point you made, but go ahead.
- [39:15]
Analyst 2
No, it's, that's all I was going to say is that you're watching all these explosive runs and you're, and it's just sticking to me that there's always a defender downfield that he's going by where his receivers walled him off. And it's just, you know, of course you're gonna block hard for that guy. You want to block hard for those guys that have that great speed.
- [39:33]
Analyst 1
It's gonna be interesting. I think he's, I think he's legitimately a first round back, I think.
- [39:38]
Analyst 2
Do you want to play the game of, want to play the game of where he would be in last year's class? Do that.
- [39:43]
Analyst 1
Yeah.
- [39:47]
Analyst 2
I'll name the guys that I, I, I think I have our rankings right.
- [39:50]
Analyst 1
And he had to come out after. So he, he, he red shirted in 2022. Had the red, red shirt freshman season, 2023. Same stat, same production, same tape. And then had the 2024 as a third year player.
- [40:07]
Analyst 2
Right. So would you take, would you take him ahead of as Genti.
- [40:12]
Analyst 1
No.
- [40:13]
Analyst 2
No. Would you take him ahead of Omari and Hampton?
- [40:15]
Analyst 1
No, no.
- [40:17]
Analyst 2
Would you take him ahead of. We'll go with the, the way they went. No, we'll go with our rankings because I think that makes more sense for this argument. Would you take him ahead of Trayvon Henderson? We're starting to have a conversation, huh? Yeah, we are.
- [40:33]
Analyst 1
Yes. We're having a conversation.
- [40:42]
Analyst 2
I might, yeah, I might say.
- [40:45]
Analyst 1
I would say probably lean. No. Yeah, I would probably lean. No. Judkins.
- [40:53]
Analyst 2
I, I'm taking love.
- [40:54]
Analyst 1
Probably would. Yeah, I would. Over. Yep. And I definitely would over Caleb Johnson.
- [41:00]
Analyst 2
I agree. I'm right with you.
- [41:01]
Analyst 1
And we all like, I think, Justin.
- [41:03]
Analyst 2
If you had to choose between Henderson or, or love, I mean, guess, guess what, you're getting a great back either way. I think so. You're not really in a bad spot. I do think that Henderson's and we said this all in the draft lead up, his pass protection is different. And I think that's really what sets him apart.
- [41:20]
Analyst 1
He catches the ball better. He's more dynamic in the passing game.
- [41:23]
Analyst 2
And if you're making the argument for love, you're saying a bigger frame probably could be more of a bell, you know, more of a primary ball carrier. You could do that.
- [41:31]
Analyst 1
Both battle injuries. Both may have to be, I shouldn't say bet both have had some signs of concern.
- [41:38]
Analyst 2
Yeah.
- [41:39]
Analyst 1
Load management in the neck at the next level. But yeah, no, I think, yeah, I think that's fair. It would be third back is where the jumping off point, the conversation would be. I would probably take him as the fourth back in last year's class, but off of my rankings, not necessarily off the board.
- [41:56]
Analyst 2
So then let's go to this because Travon Henderson obviously was pushed down the board by the two guys that went ahead of him in Hampton and Genti. Genti being a generational guy, do you think that Love would be a first round guy if it wasn't? If he was. Do you think Love has a chance to go in the first round or do you think he's more of a second round guy?
- [42:14]
Analyst 1
I think he does. I think if he can stay healthy, show a little bit of improvement in the passing game, I think the run skills are absolutely there. I think he's a first round running back in terms of his run skills. And I mean all of it combined, the agility, the acceleration, the vision, the patience, the contact balance, the power, all those things combined, he is a first round running back, but the game is not just about that. In fact, almost equal emphasis on the, on the passing game. Right. So I, I think he's got to make some strides there and quite honestly, like it just wasn't a big pass happy offense. So that's going to be interesting to see this year. But I think, yeah, I can't wait to watch him.
- [42:56]
Analyst 2
Can't wait to watch him. I mean he's so much fun to watch play, so.
- [43:00]
Analyst 1
Me too. All right, let's. Yeah, let's wrap it up there. Let's get out of here before we screw it up. We'll see you guys on Monday. Hope you're enjoying your summer. We will. I don't know, we got a whole schedule here. We're doing. Oh, I'm going. Oh yeah, I'm going to the passing academy. Manning passing academy. I'm gonna miss you there, men. It was a last minute thing. It pumped to go. Been talking Archie Manning. It's going to be a disaster. Northeastern Irishman from Boston down in Thibodeau, Louisiana in June, late June. So we're going to come back, we'll talk about passing academy quarterbacks. We'll kind of review and throw some of the insights in there when we come back next week. We also have. Then we're going to take the fourth of July off. America. Celebrate America for the love of goodness, America. And then we'll come back, we got Clemson's defense. We're talking NFL rookie mailbag and a bunch of draft stuff. We're going to do wide receivers, we're going to do a bunch of different stuff. So we got an exciting lineup, but the Manning passing academy will be something that we review next week and also, and also kind of review all of our quarterbacks. Now I'm going to put your, I'm going to put you to the fire with your quarterback rankings because I'm, I was so definitive last time we did it. I'm gonna. Okay, let's get out of here before we screw it up. We'll see you guys next week. See you must be 21 plus and present in select states for Kansas in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino or 18 + and present in D.C. gambling problem. Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit rg-help.com, call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.orgchatincenecticut or visit mdg.org in Maryland, hope is here. Visit gamblinghelplinema.org or call 1-800-327-5050 for 24. 7 support in Massachusetts or call 1-877-8-HOPE NY or text HOPENY in New York.