SOUTH BEND —Jeremiyah Love’s whirlwind offseason included a trip to Pasadena, Calif., for a photo shoot at the Rose Bowl.
Joining Notre Dame football’s star running back was Irish coach Marcus Freeman, who is rumored to join Love on at least one cover version of the video game “EA Sports College Football 26.”
“Me and coach being on the cover, it was a testament to the season Notre Dame had,” Love said Friday morning after a spring practice session. “They had to get some players on there. With it being me and coach, it was a blessing for us to be picked to represent our school.”
A leaked group photo shows a large contingent of current and former college football players and coaches. Love could be spotted standing behind Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith and Alabama wideout Ryan Williams.
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Former star quarterbacks Denard Robinson (Michigan) and Tim Tebow (Florida) were rumored to be in attendance for the photo shoot.
“It was cool seeing all those big guys in one area,” Love said. “It was just cool. There was really nothing to it. Just came in, saw everyone else, got dressed and took pictures. I had a little bit of media. It was a cool experience.”
Love, up to 213 pounds of muscle after recovering from a Grade 2 sprain of his right MCL, said there was no razzing among the players for individual photo shoots.
“Everybody was just doing their own thing,” he said.
Love, who signed with the Athletes First agency last month, also rubbed elbows with NFL stars and entertainment types at the Super Bowl in New Orleans.
“It was fun,” he said. “I’ve never experienced something like that. Getting to see all the celebrities who were there, it was cool. I usually see them on my phone or TV or something. It was cool seeing them in person.”
Among the highlights was meeting Baltimore Ravens All-Pro running back Derrick Henry.
“He was huge,” Love said of the 247-pound workhorse. “Like, really big. I got to talk to him, chopped it up with him. There were so many people, it’s hard to remember exactly who all was there. I talked to so many people and made a lot of connections.”
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame football star Jeremiyah Love talks EA Sports photo shoot
