When Jadarian Price arrived at Notre Dame, he wasn’t expected to be a household name, but he quickly formed a potent backfield tandem with Jeremiyah Love under coach Marcus Freeman. Two years later both backs were first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft: Love went third overall to the Arizona Cardinals and Price was the 32nd pick, joining the Seattle Seahawks.
Price has already begun to assert himself in Seattle after Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker left in free agency for the Kansas City Chiefs. Through two games he’s totaled 104 rushing yards and is averaging 4.5 yards per carry, effectively stepping into the lead role in the running game. Meanwhile, Freeman’s Fighting Irish remain undefeated at 3-0 and are ranked No. 3 in the AP Poll despite losing both backs to the NFL.
When Freeman caught up with Price for an interview, they covered a range of topics. Asked whether he stiff-armed or trucked a Cardinals defender, Price laughed that he “truck(ed) somebody,” crediting a strong offensive line that’s consistently getting movement and allowing him to trust his own ability. On the biggest difference between Seattle and South Bend, Price said the two places are similar in many ways—Seattle’s weather is getting gloomy, and the Seahawks’ program also emphasizes spiritual life, with many players attending bible study and team chapel or mass before games.
Price also mentioned a conversation with Eli Raridon, saying he hadn’t realized Raridon was the first player to score in the NFL that opening-week game until afterward and thought it was a cool moment. He praised former Notre Dame teammates who’ve also found success—Julian Love has been around the ball and collecting game-changing plays, while Riley Mills has been making tackles for loss—and noted they all did Notre Dame events together over the summer. Price shared a surprising off-field anecdote: Joe Montana reached out about a venture-capital opportunity, and Price spoke with a tech startup about linking lessons from football to the life of a CEO. Finally, he said he and Jeremiyah Love didn’t get a chance to swap jerseys yet, but since Seattle and Arizona meet twice this season they plan to do it next time.
Fan take: Seeing two college teammates become immediate contributors in the NFL underscores how quickly collegiate chemistry can translate to the pros, and Price’s early production in Seattle suggests teams can find ready-made answers in the draft’s later first-round slots. For NFL fans, that continuity from college programs to pro impact makes watching draft developments and college seasons even more meaningful for predicting team success.
Source: www.foxsports.com
