Marcus Freeman Shares Promising Injury Update on Running Back Jeremiyah Love

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sean Deveney | Last updated Jan 8, 2025 12:20 PM ET

On Thursday night, Penn State and Notre Dame will meet for a chance to go to the College Football Playoff final in the Orange Bowl, and for the Fighting Irish, the game is a chance to finish off a redemption story that started back in Week 2 when it looked like the 2024 season might go off the rails.

That was when Notre Dame lost to Northern Illinois, of course. The team could have spiraled from there, but instead responded with 12 straight wins, including playoff victories over Indiana and Georgia.

Coach Marcus Freeman said on Wednesday that the overwhelming feeling at this point is gratitude.

"Looking forward to a great opportunity tomorrow night versus an extremely good football team ..." Freeman said. "This football team is a very good one that we have to continue to prepare for. We've got to use these next 24 hours to finish our preparation in anticipation of this great opportunity that lies ahead.

"We'll do that, but again, we'll understand that we'll do that with being grateful for this opportunity that we have ahead of us."

One of the challenges has been staying healthy, as sheperding something close to a healthy roster of collegians through four-and-a-half months of football is not easy. Of all the Notre Dame concerns in terms of injury, the biggest is that around leading running back Jeremiyah Love.

Against the Bulldogs last week, Love exited the game with a knee injury. But Freeman had good news on that front.

Marcus Freeman said that running back Jeremiyah Love had a good week of practice.

“No one feels 100% but J-Love will be ready to go” pic.twitter.com/qYCaGQlOT0
— Lyle Alenstein (@LAlenstein) January 8, 2025

"J-Love, Jeremiyah, has had a great week of practice," Freeman said. "We have to be smart in terms of how much we're asking him to do in practice. We've got to get him ready for the game. But he's confident.

"And nobody, I think, feels 100% right now. We're in week, I think, 15 or game 15 -- 16 maybe for you. Nobody feels 100%. But J Love will be good to go."

Love rushed for 1,076 yards and 16 touchdowns this season.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: