NOTRE DAME: Lonely at the top amongst the top 10 CFB RBs is quit unbelievable
When you think of dominance in college football, images of powerhouse programs with stacked rosters, blue-chip recruits, and Heisman hopefuls dance across your mind. Yet somehow, in 2025, Notre Dame finds itself in a curious position — possessing one of the best running backs in the nation and yet standing alone at the summit, unmatched in backfield firepower amongst the top 10 College Football Playoff (CFP) contenders.
It’s not just surprising. It’s unbelievable.
Let’s start with the man himself — Jadarian Price. He’s not just a star in South Bend; he’s arguably the most complete running back in college football this season. Vision, balance, burst, pass-catching ability, and an underrated ability to pick up the blitz — Price checks every box.
What’s more astonishing is how efficiently he does it. In a year where other top programs are still figuring out their backfield rotations or relying on freshmen and transfers to fill the gap, Price has already established himself as a proven, durable, and explosive threat. He’s a one-cut artist who turns five-yard gaps into 50-yard fireworks, and he’s doing it behind an offensive line that is finally playing with the mean streak Notre Dame fans have been waiting for.
Unlike the rotating-door backfields at Georgia or the committee approach at Michigan, Notre Dame has clarity. There’s no RB-by-committee. There’s no guessing game on 3rd-and-short. There’s Price — and then daylight.
To fully appreciate Notre Dame’s lonely position at the top, we need to glance sideways — at the supposed “elite” backfields from other top 10 programs.
Georgia, for instance, has built a reputation on its ground game. But this year? It’s chaos. Kendall Milton’s departure, Branson Robinson’s injury history, and a lack of dominant breakaway speed have left them with a bruising but ultimately replaceable rotation. No one has stepped up as the guy, and it shows in their plodding third quarters and their struggle to close games with a lead.
Michigan, fresh off its national title, was expected to reload — but the loss of Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards has created a leadership vacuum. Their current backs are promising, but none have the vision or polish necessary to elevate the Wolverines past run-of-the-mill Big Ten competition.
Then there’s Ohio State, Alabama, and Texas — all three boasting elite quarterback play, but lacking an every-down back who can be trusted in high-leverage moments. Texas’s running back committee has talent, but is young and inconsistent. Alabama’s Roydell Williams has been solid, not spectacular. And OSU’s Devin Brown-led offense hasn’t leaned on the ground game enough to let their backs build rhythm.
Notre Dame, by contrast, leans on Price — and he delivers.
What separates Price from the pack isn’t just raw talent. It’s his versatility and big-game temperament.
Against top-tier defenses — think USC, Clemson, and Wisconsin — Price didn’t just survive; he thrived. His yards after contact are among the highest in the country, and his ability to function as a check-down valve for Riley Leonard has transformed Notre Dame’s third-down efficiency. He’s as much a weapon in the passing game as he is a threat on zone reads.
Need to ice the game in the fourth quarter? Price will bleed the clock dry with six-yard chunks.
Need a spark in the second quarter? He’ll turn a swing pass into a 35-yard gain.
Need to beat man coverage on a wheel route? He’ll do that too.
He’s the kind of back that makes everything easier for a quarterback, a coordinator, and a head coach — especially when every play call has the weight of playoff hopes on it.
It helps, of course, that Notre Dame is pairing Price with one of the best offensive lines in college football. Anchored by Joe Alt-level successors and a guard-center combo that brings both mobility and nastiness, the Irish line has allowed Price to operate in space far more often than most backs in his tier.
And then there’s Marty Biagi’s special teams, which has consistently set the offense up with solid field position, and a receiving corps that forces defenses to respect the vertical threat. No more stacking the box against the Irish — Price has space, and he’s using it with brutal efficiency.
Even more important? Notre Dame’s defense gives the offense multiple possessions per game to work with — more opportunities for Price to rack up touches and tire out opposing fronts. You can’t underestimate the value of complimentary football in letting a back like Price feast late in games.
We’re in an era of football that increasingly devalues running backs. The NFL has taught elite recruits to think twice about taking too many carries. College coaches, mindful of preserving their stars for the postseason (or the transfer portal), split touches. The spread offense has minimized the power-run identity that once defined teams like Wisconsin, Stanford, and yes — even Notre Dame.
And yet here is Marcus Freeman, leaning into it. In a year where top 10 programs are playing “RB roulette,” Notre Dame has zigged while others zagged. The Irish have embraced the notion of a true RB1 — and they’re being rewarded for it.
Jadarian Price is proof that when you find a complete back and build your offense to support him, magic can happen. He’s not just padding stats against bad teams. He’s producing in tight games, against elite fronts, and on the biggest stages.
Is it sustainable? Time will tell.
Running backs take hits. Defenses adjust. The grind of the season wears on. But what’s clear now is that Notre Dame has something rare — a genuine, irreplaceable, every-down weapon in the backfield that the other top 10 teams simply don’t have.
And for once, the Irish aren’t just getting by on grit and tradition. They’re winning with elite talent at a premium position — a luxury most of the nation’s best can only dream about.
