The entire St. Louis area football community knew that Jeremiyah Love was a special talent as he helped lead CBC to two Class 6 state championships.
In his final high school game in the 2021-22 season, he scored all four of CBC’s touchdowns, leading the Cadets to a thrilling overtime victory over Lee’s Summit North in the Class 6 state championship game in Columbia.
Four years later, Love is about to experience a moment that most young football players dream about. On Thursday night, he will hear his name called as one of the top picks in the National Football League draft. He will put on the team’s cap, walk onto the main stage and share that moment with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell — one of the great traditions of draft day.
This year’s NFL draft will be held in Pittsburgh. Love is one of 16 players invited to attend, all of whom are expected to be high draft picks. He has been projected as a top-five selection and will be able to share the moment with friends and family.
Love will take that next step to the professional ranks after a stellar collegiate career at University of Notre Dame. As a sophomore, he helped lead the Fighting Irish to a berth in the College Football Playoff championship game. He rushed for 1,125 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Love followed with an even better season, winning the Doak Walker Award, given to the nation’s top running back. He was also a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. He finished with 1,372 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns.
The 6-foot, 212-pound Love solidified his status as a top projected pick with a strong performance at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.36 seconds, one of the fastest times among running backs. He also recorded a broad jump of 10 feet, 8 inches and a vertical leap of 39 inches.
The NFL draft will be held Thursday through Saturday and will be televised on ESPN, ABC and NFL Network.
More St. Louisans to watch on draft day
Several other players from the St. Louis area hope to hear their names called during the weekend. One is defensive back Toriano Pride, a former standout at Lutheran North and East St. Louis. The former University of Missouri standout recorded one of the fastest 40-yard dash times among defensive backs at the NFL scouting combine, clocking 4.32 seconds.
Former St. Mary’s standout Kevin Coleman is an excellent prospect as a wide receiver and kick returner. In his final collegiate season at Missouri, Coleman had a team-high 66 receptions for 732 yards. He is also a home run threat as a punt and kickoff returner.
Other St. Louisans to watch include former Kirkwood High standout Will Lee III, who had an excellent career at linebacker at Texas A&M University. Will Kaczmarek is a former MICDS standout who played tight end at Ohio State University. He is a punishing run blocker who can also catch the ball.
Area basketball players in the college transfer portal
Former Incarnate Word Academy star Nevaeh Caffey is headed to the University of Missouri through the transfer portal. The 5-foot-10 Caffey started every game in her freshman season at Indiana University, where she averaged 8.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.
Caffey was the St. Louis American Player of the Year in 2025 after leading the Red Knights to the Class 6 state championship. She is a talented point guard expected to be one of the cornerstones of head coach Kellie Harper’s Missouri program.
Former Parkway North standout Ade Popoola has committed to DePaul University. A 6-foot-5 shooting guard, Popoola played at University of Tulsa this past season. He was part of a team that reached 30 victories and advanced to the championship game of the National Invitation Tournament.
As a junior, Popoola averaged 10.8 points and 4.2 rebounds while making 99 3-pointers and shooting 40% from beyond the arc. He averaged 14 points per game in the NIT while shooting 44% from 3-point range and made 21 3-pointers in the tournament.
Former O’Fallon High standout Shannon Dowell will head to University of California for her senior season. A 5-foot-10 guard, Dowell played last season at Missouri. As a junior, she averaged 14.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Dowell led O’Fallon to an Illinois Class 4A state championship in 2023.