Jadarian Price was a first-round 2026 NFL Draft pick by the Seattle Seahawks, No. 32 overall, despite being a backup running back in college at Notre Dame.
Yeah, that’s how good he is.
But wait — for those just getting up to speed with the NFL, how is that possible? How is it possible that Price is starting for the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks in Week 1 despite being an RB2 with the Fighting Irish?
It’s an answer that Notre Dame fans already know.
But to the wider football world trying to understand, it’s actually quite simple.
Why Was Jadarian Price a Backup RB at Notre Dame?
The answer: Jeremiyah Love.
Love was the best running back in college football in 2025, and he went No. 3 overall to the Arizona Cardinals in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The first RB off the board was Love. The second was Price.
The two-best running backs in the draft class were both at Notre Dame.
In some ways, it was brutal luck for Price, at least as far as college playing time was concerned. He was one of the best RBs in the country but behind someone even better.
Price also clearly recognized the opportunity at hand to allow Love to push him and vice versa, and it seems to have them set to both be stars in the NFL.
Jadarian Price Notre Dame Stats
Price first took the field for Notre Dame during the 2023 season. That year, he ran 47 times for 272 yards and three touchdowns, already showing his potential with his 5.8 yards per carry.
In 2024, Price really broke out as Notre Dame made a run to the national title game. He carried 120 times for 746 yards and seven TDs.
Price’s final college season included just 12 games played but just as much effectiveness — on 113 runs, he had 674 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Love had bigger numbers, but that was to be expected. Price was so good that he got onto the field and made plays anyway.
In some ways, it was an odd bit of preparation for the way most NFL backfields work. There are very few workhorses anymore. Most guys find themselves in some kind of timeshare.
Early in the 2026 season, Price might be the unquestioned top dog in Seattle, but when Zach Charbonnet comes back, that won’t be as certain. But what is clear is that Price can thrive even if he’s spending stretches of games on the sideline. He learned how to do that at Notre Dame.
Price ranked well on draft analysts’ boards, too, even if he wasn’t viewed universally as a first-round pick. And for the Seahawks, they clearly liked what they saw, even if Price wasn’t a full-time starter in college. They’ll have to hope that the film Price put together didn’t lie, because it was certainly quite impressive, no matter the overall volume.
Why Jadarian Price Was Backup RB at Notre Dame but Starts for Seahawks