Meet Notre Dame Football Star Jeremiyah Love's Parents

Jeremiyah Love and his parents in December 2025.
Credit: Notre Dame Football/Instagram

Jason and L’Tyona raised Jeremiyah in Walnut Park on the north side of St. Louis, per The Athletic. As a kid, he enjoyed spending time in his bedroom, watching anime and playing video games.

When he wasn’t in his room, the athlete was usually running around his house, doing backflips and climbing railings, he told the outlet.

They’re retired police officers

Jeremiyah Love with his parents Ltyona and Jason Love in January 2026.
Credit: Jeremiyah Love/Instagram

Both of Jeremiyah’s parents are retired police officers and ex-military, per The New York Times.

In October 2025, Jeremiyah told NBC Sports that they made an effort to protect him from the “pretty bad area” where they lived.

“Lots of bad things going on outside, right on my street,” the athlete said. “Bunch of bad stuff and my parents did a great job, you know, sheltering me away from all that.”

L’Tyona recalled that the daily routine for Jeremiyah consisted of leaving the house to go directly to school and an activity, then coming straight home.

"He didn’t really get to experience the neighborhood, and the neighborhood didn’t get to touch him,” she said.

Jason added that they always kept their son busy with tutors, sports and other activities.

Jason and Jeremiyah have a special pre-game ritual

Jeremiyah Love and his dad Jason Love in December 2025.
Credit: Notre Dame Football/Instagram

During their interview with NBC Sports, the Love family shared that Jason and Jeremiyah have a close bond, and Jason was the one who first encouraged his son to pursue sports.

“It was his thing,” L’Tyona said. “He led the way, I just kind of went with the flow.”

The father and son duo have shared a pre-game ritual since Jeremiyah was 6.

“I go find my dad in the stands, and he’ll grab me by my helmet and he’ll ask me, ‘Who’s the best on the field? Who’s the best in the world?’ ” Jeremiyah shared with NBC. “Just hyping me up before the game, making sure my mind is right and I’m ready to compete.”

Jason explained that it’s a meaningful, quiet moment just for the two of them.

“We don’t hear anything, there’s no one else," he said. "When I see the look in his eye, go out here and dominate, I know he's there and focused."

Jeremiyah told ESPN’s College GameDay that these moments with his father give him “all the confidence” that he needs to go out there and “be Jeremiyah Love.”

They embrace his differences

Jeremiyah Love and his mom Ltyona in February 2025.
Credit: Jeremiyah Love/Instagram

When the family spoke to ESPN’s College GameDay, they opened up about Jeremiyah’s differences.

“He would tell me, ‘Ma, I don’t feel emotion.’ It’s like he didn’t feel happiness, he didn’t feel grief, he didn’t feel none of that,” L’Tyona remembered. “I was like, ‘Yeah, you do,’ but he was like, ‘No, I don't.’ ”

She explained that he was sometimes perceived as “standoffish” and a “loner.”

Eventually, his parents consulted his childhood pediatrician, who suggested that Jeremiyah might be on the autism spectrum. However, they chose not to pursue a formal diagnosis.

“We refuse to label him, so we had to relay that message to the coaches without any medical evidence saying that this is what it is,” Jason said.

Despite the challenges, they’re proud of their son for exactly who he is. “Now, he’s a shining example for all to see that it’s not a weakness; that’s his superpower,” Jason added.

Jeremiyah noted that his parents never made him feel like he was “odd.”

He and Jason created a comic book together

Jeremiyah Love #4 of the University of Notre Dame during a game on October 18, 2025 in South Bend, Indiana.
Credit: Michael Miller/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty

In September 2025, Jeremiyah and his father published a comic book, Jeremonstar, inspired by his own story. They spent four years developing it with a team of artists, according to ESPN.

The project was Jason’s idea — he pitched it to his son during Jeremiyah’s junior season of high school, when he was becoming one of the best running backs in the country.

The message of Jeremonstar is that the qualities that make someone different can also be their superpowers.

“Sometimes kids like Jeremiyah are labeled, but he reverses all those things — all the doubters and cynics,” Jason told the outlet. “That’s his superpower.”

Jeremiyah emphasized that the book is a passion project, not a “cash grab,” adding, “It’s something I want people to like and enjoy. I want to tap into this fan base, and I want to connect with different people who are kind of like me.”

Read the original article on People