When the 2026 NFL Draft wrapped up and Jeremiyah Love went early in the first round, the easy assumption was that the former Notre Dame standout had the cleanest runway to make a serious Offensive Player of the Year push. But as fall camps open and teams settle into their plans, that picture looks a little different. Jadarian Price may have the more obvious path.
That’s not because Price is clearly a better player than Love. The difference is in the situations around them.
Love appears headed for a “rookie” role with the Arizona Cardinals, a setup that may keep him from fully showing what he can do. Price, meanwhile, has been unofficially handed the starting job by the Seattle Seahawks, even though he was taken later in the first round and is also a rookie.
Seattle’s backfield situation helps explain why. With Zach Charbonnet possibly beginning the season on the physically unable to perform list, George Holani looks like the likeliest RB2. That leaves Price as “the man” for now, with the plan to start him at running back.
As Lee Vowell of 12th Man Rising put it, “He is only going to keep Seattle good, too. Through a week of training camp, Price has shown he can catch the ball out of the backfield, but has made enough of Seattle's elite defense look silly to imply that when the real games begin, Price is going to be a star. He is explosive with power, a combination of a healthy Rashaad Penny and Chris Carson, possibly.”
Price’s rise has also come after a long offseason of learning a new system, new teammates, and all the other curveballs that hit a rookie trying to get up to speed. He has put his head down and worked through it, and now he’s starting to get a feel for what new coordinator Brian Fleury wants on offense.
Fleury and the Seattle staff have seen enough to believe Price is showing the best version of himself. The big issue through the draft and spring wasn’t whether he could be a threat as a runner and receiver. It was whether he could handle everything else Seattle needs from him.
That meant one key question: could Price pick up the blitz and stop a linebacker or defensive end cold when they came after the quarterback? According to many media reports, that part looks fine.
If that holds, Price should see plenty of snaps in his first season. And if that happens, it may be Price - not Jeremiyah Love - who gives Notre Dame its strongest shot at having the top Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate among its former players.
In Other News...
Notre Dame Just Changed How Indiana's Future Schedule Will Be Judged
Indianas future nonconference slate took another hit when its planned home-and-home series with Notre Dame for 2030-31 was canceled, removing one of the more recognizable games from the Hoosiers schedule. The change comes as Notre Dame moved to renew its rivalry with USC in a four-game series, keeping one of college footballs marquee matchups on the calendar and leaving Indiana to keep reshaping its own future dates.
For Indiana, the timing only sharpens the conversation around how its schedules will be judged going forward. The Hoosiers currently do not have any Power Four non-conference opponents lined up, a detail that has already drawn criticism about the strength of their future slates. Losing Notre Dame adds another layer to that scrutiny, especially with so much attention now on how programs position themselves for selection committees and public perception alike. [Read more 🡒]
Lincoln Riley Just Added Real Heat To Notre Dame-USC Again
Lincoln Riley has put fresh attention back on one of college footballs most stubborn rivalries by revisiting the Notre Dame-USC scheduling issue. The USC coach pointed to the reality of the Trojans conference calendar as part of the reason the matchup has landed where it has, while also taking aim at Notre Dames choices along the way. It is the kind of public back-and-forth that keeps a long-running series from going stale, even when the games themselves are still years away.
For Notre Dame, the timing matters because the rivalry is officially set to restart in 2030, with the games scheduled early in the season. That only raises the stakes around every comment and countercomment between the two sides, especially when the conversation shifts from tradition to logistics. Rileys latest remarks do not change the calendar, but they do remind both fan bases that the tension around this series is already back in full view. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Is Still Waiting On The Indiana Matchup Fans Wanted
Indiana footballs future non-conference slate has been drawing attention, and not in the way Notre Dame fans had hoped. Under Curt Cignetti, the Hoosiers have mapped out a schedule through 2029 that stays away from any Power Four opponent outside the Big Ten, a sharp turn from the kind of game that can make an autumn calendar feel a little bigger.
Indiana had previously had games with Virginia and Louisville on the books before moving on to lighter opponents, and Cignetti has described the approach as SEC-style in its emphasis on conference play. For Notre Dame, though, the matchup people keep circling is still a ways off, with the first series between the programs now slated for 2030-31. [Read more 🡒]