.png) Love in 2018 | |
| No. 23 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Running back |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1997-07-08)July 8, 1997 (age 28)[1] Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Listed height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Wake Forest (Wake Forest, North Carolina) |
| College | Stanford (2015–2018) |
| NFL draft | 2019: 4th round, 112th overall pick |
| Career history | |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Stats atPro Football Reference | |
Jonathan Bryce Love (born July 8, 1997) is an American former professionalfootball player who was arunning back in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theStanford Cardinal and was selected by theWashington Redskins in the fourth round of the2019 NFL draft, although he never played in a game with them due to a lingering issue from a knee injury he suffered at Stanford. In his youth, he was also asprinter specializing in the200 meters and400 meters, earningUSA Track & Field Youth Athlete of the Year honors in 2009.[2][3]
A native ofWake Forest, North Carolina, Love attendedWake Forest High School. In addition to track, he competed in football and drew comparisons toKeith Marshall.[4] At the combine of the 2013U.S. Army All-American Bowl inSan Antonio, Texas, Love ran an electronically timed 4.4 seconds in the40-yard dash.[5]
A track athlete from an early age, Love attended the 2009USA Track & Field (USATF) National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships, setting national record times of 11.64 in the 100m, 23.37 in the 200m and 50.75 in the 400m dash. It was the first time a boy from the midget age group (11–12 years old) has set three national records in one year. Love was named USATF Youth Athlete of the Year 2009.[2] Soon after, Love set new records in the 13–14 yrs group at a meet inHoschton, Georgia. He ran 10.73 in the 100 and 21.83 in the 200 on consecutive days.[citation needed]
As a football player, he was rated as a 4-star recruit byESPN and the No. 18running back prospect of the class of 2015.[6] He committed toStanford over offers fromClemson,East Carolina,Florida,Georgia,North Carolina,South Carolina,Tennessee,Virginia Tech, andWisconsin, among others.[7]
In the 2015 and 2016 seasons, Love backed upChristian McCaffrey, a first-round selection in the2017 NFL draft. Love accumulated 1,009 rushing yards in these two seasons.[8][9]
Love had a break-out season in 2017 with 2,118 rushing yards. Love was second in the nation in rushing yards and in rushing yards per game. Love reached the 1,000-yard rushing mark in just the fifth game of the season. He had back-to-back games with over 250 rushing yards, making him only the secondPac-12 Conference player to accomplish this (along withReggie Bush). He ran for a school-record 301 yards in a game. Love ran for at least 100 yards in twelve of his thirteen games, leading all running backs in the nation.
Love won theDoak Walker Award as the nation's best running back.[10] He won theLombardi Award for 2017.[11] He was a unanimous first-teamAll-American. The Pac-12 named Love its Offensive Player of the Year. Love also was named to the All-Pac-12 First-team. Like McCaffrey in 2015, Love was the runner-up for the 2017Heisman Trophy.[12]
In his senior season, Love was one of theteam captains. He was put on several preseason All-American lists as well as preseason award watch lists. He missed some time due to an ACL injury, but managed to finish the year with 739 rushing yards and six rushingtouchdowns.[13] At the end of the season, he earned Pac-12 honorable mention. Love graduated from Stanford with a degree in human biology in 2019.[14]
| Season | GP | Rushing | Receiving | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 2015 | 14 | 29 | 225 | 7.8 | 2 | 15 | 250 | 16.7 | 1 |
| 2016 | 12 | 111 | 783 | 7.1 | 3 | 8 | 83 | 10.4 | 1 |
| 2017 | 13 | 263 | 2,118 | 8.1 | 19 | 6 | 33 | 5.5 | 0 |
| 2018 | 10 | 166 | 739 | 4.5 | 6 | 20 | 99 | 5.0 | 0 |
| Career | 49 | 569 | 3,865 | 6.8 | 30 | 49 | 465 | 9.5 | 2 |
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Bench press | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft8+7⁄8 in (1.75 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | 29+3⁄8 in (0.75 m) | 9+1⁄8 in (0.23 m) | 18 reps | ||||||||
| All values fromNFL Combine[15][16] | ||||||||||||
Prior to the draft, Love suffered atorn anterior cruciate ligament in his final college game which led to a concern among teams.[17] He ultimately was drafted by theWashington Redskins in the fourth round, 112th overall, of the2019 NFL draft.[18] He signed his rookie contract with the team on May 9, 2019.[19] He was placed on thenon-football injury list before the start of the season on August 31, 2019. He was active for a few games in 2020 before being placed oninjured reserve (IR) on October 2.[20] He was designated to return from IR in November and practiced with the team,[21] but was not elevated to the active roster in time and remained on IR.[22] Love was eventually waived by the team on April 19, 2021, having never played in a game with them.[23]
Love remained in the Washington area and is anangel investor in technology. He has also expressed interest in going tomedical school to be apediatrician.[24] In 2025, Love joined theACC Network as an on-air analyst for their college football coverage.[25]
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | USA Track & Field Youth Athlete of the Year 2009 | Succeeded by |
