How Jeremiyah Love's affection for anime shaped his iconic hurdle
Love's affection for anime helped guide his rise into the nation's best running back
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10 min read
Midway through the third quarter against Northern Illinois in 2024, Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love awakened something in himself.
Love took a carry from quarterback Riley Leonard and burst through the line at full speed. He saw a Huskies safety careening towards him in the open field. For a moment, Love's mind went blank as his body left the earth. And then, he was running untouched for a touchdown, wondering what he had just done.
"I've always felt like I can get pretty high," Love told CBS Sports. "But I just never really did it in a game until last year against Northern Illinois. I just fell in love with it ever since."
That was the first time Love can remember hurdling over a defender. And he was never going back.
In the 18 months since, Love's hurdle has become the most iconic move in college football. Despite dealing with injuries, Love recorded hurdles during six games in 2024. He appeared to float over a USC defender as the Irish pulled away. Against Penn State in the national semifinals last season, Love leaped all the way over linebacker Kobe King despite a self-imposed ban from hurdling because of a knee injury.
JEREMIYAH LOVE GOT WAY UP ON THIS HURDLE! pic.twitter.com/ndP0p0hFlL
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) November 30, 2024
Love continued his exploits during the 2025 season as he separated as college football's best running back. As teams tried to plan for his hurdles, Love hit them with a ridiculous spin move that left defenders falling to their knees. Despite recording fewer than 200 carries, Love exploded for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns to earn the title of Heisman Trophy finalist and CBS Sports All-American.
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Until 2024, Love did not even have the hurdle as part of his arsenal. But really, the last 20 years have been leading to this moment, an invisible force preparing him for his close up.
"There are certain moments of the game where I'll just be able to create a spectacular play because that's what's needed in the moment, or that's what I need to do," Love said. "It's not necessarily something that I can always do off the bat.
"There's certain situations where some energy or some ability is pulled out of me."
* * *
Love was six or seven and flipping through channels when something stopped him. There were bright colors and extreme action, unlike anything he had ever seen. He was transfixed.
"It was kind of like cartoons, but a little bit different," Love said.
From that moment, Love was hooked on anime. The Japanese form of animation has reached mainstream popularity in recent years, but it was only taking off as Love grew up.
In anime, Love saw himself. Many animes feature heroes that are just a little different, on the outskirts of society. They're guided by divine missions or extreme trials, and teach lessons of resiliency.
One of the most accessible in the United States was Naruto, which was broadcast in the United States on Cartoon Network and Disney XD starting in the mid-2000s. Love immediately was drawn to Naruto's "Nindō," or Ninja Way, a commitment to never run away or go back on his word. And as Love's athletic ability started to take off, his Ninja Way served him well.
When Love took his first carries at Christian Brothers College in St. Louis, Missouri, the world slowed down. During a state title run in 2021, Love rushed for a mind-boggling 10.5 yards per carry. He was an elite level sprinter, even winning a Missouri state title in the 100 meter.
And of course, Love jumped.
From a young age, Love did backflips and other acrobatics while playing with his cousins. By the time he was in eighth grade, he was dunking a basketball and even taking the jump ball for his team at barely six feet. His long jump cleared 22 feet, though he didn't compete for height.
Love measured at more than 40 inches in the vertical jump at camps, and believes he could go higher today. Love is a freak in the weight room, especially lower body moves like box jumping or squats.
"When it comes to quick muscle fiber activities, it's like nothing to him," Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price told CBS Sports. "He makes it look effortless."
* * *
Deland McCullough was running backs coach at Notre Dame in 2022 when he saw Love's high school tape. Now Ashton Jeanty's running backs coach with the Las Vegas Raiders, McCullough has worked with great players over the years. Love's film raised his eyebrows.
"Just watching his tape, it was phenomenal," McCullough told CBS Sports. "His agility, his speed, his ability to change directions."
Every anime hero needs a mentor. And during his rise to a national star, it was McCullough who played the Jiraiya to Love's Naruto. But before he could show Love the way, he first needed to earn his trust.
McCullough used to be a teacher, and even a principal, before getting into college coaching. Because of his unique experiences, he knew exactly how to penetrate Love's armor.
Instead of walking into the room and telling Love what he had to say, he instead would ask Love questions. What did you do last night? What do you think about this? How are you feeling? He let Love lead the conversation and never impeded on his personal space. Everything was on Jeremiyah's terms.
During a home visit, McCullough came with Love to his bedroom door. There was a mat outside the door to wipe his feet. He paused and looked to Love to see whether he should take his shoes off and step into his personal space. Love smiled and nodded him in.
"I knew I was good," McCullough said. "So I went into his inner sanctum and we just sat on the bed and talked. That's just pouring into him and not having just a surface relationship. I'm interested in what makes you tick."
And when that bond formed, McCullough came ready. McCullough put together a wildly detailed plan with dozens of bullet points. They ranged from big picture goals of being a team captain to the minute of learning how to take football notes at an elite level. It blew Love, a top-100 prospect, away.
"I didn't want anybody trying to change who I was or trying to turn me into a different person, socially or emotionally," Love said. "Notre Dame was just that place."
* * *
When Love arrived at Notre Dame, he found a kindred spirit. Jadarian Price was a soft-spoken running back from Denison, Texas, who was also attracted to the quiet confidence of South Bend. He also had big dreams and an elite work ethic.
And like Love, Price loved anime.
"I think we see ourselves a lot in those characters, just people who feel like they have the whole world on their shoulders and have to make a lot of people proud," Price said. "We have to work to become something incredible."
The pair bonded over watching Dragon Ball Z and One Punch Man, and Naruto of course. Price became Love's Sasuke, a rival pushing him at every turn, from the field to the classroom to the weight room.
"It sounds weird but when people are the same type of way, they understand each other better," Love said. "I just feel like we don't have to do as much as other guys to connect with each other because we have a common game, we're on the same wavelength."
McCullough was meticulously organized, thanks to his tenure as an educator. Every day, each running back in the room would receive a grade based on a clear rubric. Anything could cost points, from poor hand placement to poor steps. And whenever he lost points, Love would battle hard to fix it.
"The great ones want to be great," McCullough said. "The behind the scenes stuff, the details, the small things, the footwork, the pace, the hand placement in pass protection. Jeremiyah's into the details, and he wants to be challenged with the details."
Before the 2023 Sun Bowl, senior running back Audric Estime declared for the NFL Draft. Instead of needing to hold tryouts, McCullough simply went to the grade book. Love held a narrow 92.3 to 91.6 edge over Price; that was that. Then in the game, Price outplayed Love.
But when Love hurdled against Northern Illinois in an otherwise horrible day for the Irish, the winds started blowing his direction. His coaching staff wasn't thrilled at first that Love was putting himself at risk, but with the air unlocked a freedom. As trust grew, so did his production.
"What people don't see behind the scenes is the stuff we do in practice," Price said. "Even if it's a walkthrough just going through the details -- 1 step, 2 step and then I'm gonna jump. People don't really see that he's practicing those things in a walkthrough with pads on. It really shows that if you continue these things, muscle memory, it becomes second nature."
* * *
In 2025, Love's affection for anime culminated with the release of his first comic book: Jeremonstar. The comic features a fictionalized version of Jeremiyah Love, mixing football with supernatural abilities.
That said, real life might have been better than fiction for the Love family in 2025.
Love's junior season was one for the ages, finishing with 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns on only 199 carries. He added 280 yards receiving and three more scores to sit No. 4 nationally in all-purpose offense, with fewer total plays than any player in the top 10.
"I have a daredevil mentality," Love said. "I'll do anything, you don't know what I'm going to do next. That just makes me so much of a better player. I feel like a lot of guys restrict themselves to playing within certain rules. I'll do whatever I want to do, and that makes me a great running back."
After the Irish lost their first two games, Love locked in and rushed for 157 yards and two touchdowns against Purdue. He scored at least a touchdown in 11 straight games, including six games with multiple rushing scores. His 171-yard, three-touchdown performance came on only eight carries in a 70-7 win against Syracuse.
Perhaps the scariest part about Love is that he's only scratching the surface. He cleared more than 20 carries only twice in 2025, combining for 375 yards and two touchdowns on 47 carries in ranked wins against No. 20 USC and No. 22 Pittsburgh.
McCullough ultimately left for the NFL after the 2024 season, but Notre Dame brought in heralded Penn State assistant Ja'Juan Seider. He has added plenty of new lessons. But even after departing, McCullough has kept a close eye on the lengthy career plan he put together for Love while recruiting him to Notre Dame.
Reading down McCullough's plan for Year 3, it's almost uncanny: Be a team captain. Rank top 10 yards from scrimmage. All-America/Heisman status. Be efficient, smart and highly productive. Nearly every single box is checked.
"Once he's fixated on what he wants to do and who he wants to become, there's nothing stopping him," Price said.
Part of the reason for limited snaps was saving him for a national championship run, one of the only bullet points of the 33 on McCullough's master plan that Love has not achieved (the Irish were runner-up a year ago). But on Sunday, Notre Dame was left out of the College Football Playoff in a controversial decision that has sent shockwaves across the sport.
Love could technically return for another year of eligibility. But with CBS Sports' lead NFL Draft scout Mike Renner ranking Love as the No. 1 running back and a top-15 overall prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft, he has little choice but to go.
Love leaves after three years as the best at his position, and maybe best at any position. And if he can become the first running back to win the Heisman Trophy since Derrick Henry in 2015, he can ascend to greatness -- just like Naruto.
