Jeremiyah Love proved just how impressive he is at "75 to 80%" during Notre Dame's College Football Playoff semifinal win over Penn State. While Love's statline—11 carries, 46 yards and one touchdown—didn't jump off the page, his bruising two-yard touchdown run was one of the highlights of Notre Dame's run to the national championship.
Love estimated that he was at about three-quarters capacity during that game, speaking to ESPN's Pete Thamel ahead of kickoff. Even while wearing a brace to stabilize the knee that he's been favoring since the end of the regular season, he was able to take flight for a highlight hurdle against the Nittany Lions (despite promising that he'd keep his feet on the ground).
Love was spotted without a brace during warmups ahead of Monday night's national championship matchup with Ohio State, and told Thamel that he is at 90–95% for the game.
Here’s a look at Jeremiah Love warming up. No knee brace. He’d told ESPN that he’s 90-95-percent, with the only hurdle remaining a mental one. He said he was 75-80-percent against Penn State. He wore a knee brace in that game. pic.twitter.com/p7Op5BgOBn
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 20, 2025
Love said it would be a game-time decision whether he puts the brace on for the game itself during an interview with SiriusXM over the weekend, but it looks like he's going without it.
Brace or no brace, the Fighting Irish will need everything Love can give them in a matchup against perhaps the most talented team in the country, and one that is more than a touchdown favorite to capture the national title.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love Gives Optimistic Update on Knee Injury During Warmups.