Sports

Seahawks Know It's Finally Time for Jadarian Price to be a No. 1 Running Back

By Doug Farrar Athlon Sports

Through no fault of his own, Jadarian Price has had to wait far too long for his opportunity to be a truly featured running back. Price had that opportunity at Denison High School in Denison, Texas, which he parlayed into his status as the 17th-ranked running back in the 2022 college recruiting class, and the No. 32 recruit overall in the state of Texas. That got Price a flurry of offers, and he eventually chose Notre Dame.

Then, Price lost his 2022 season to a torn Achilles tendon, and when he came back to the fore in 2023, it was a timeshare with Jeremiyah Love, who eventually became the face of the Fighting Irish's offense. Not that Price was a second-teamer at all - both Price and Love were behind Audric Estime on the depth chart in 2023, and though Love broke out for 1,124 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns on just 162 carries in 2024, Price had 744 yards and seven rushing touchdowns on just 121 carries. And in 2025, while Love maintained his alpha status with 1,372 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns on 199 carries, Price was hardly a beta back - he racked up 674 yards and 11 touchdowns on 113 carries himself.

In a manner of speaking, if you're the second-best guitarist in the world behind Jimi Hendrix or Edward Van Halen, you're still pretty good. And just because Price couldn't supplant Love as the No. 1 guy doesn't mean that he isn't NFL-ready - it simply means that he was stuck behind the best back, and perhaps the best overall player, in the 2026 NFL Draft.

The Seattle Seahawks, who lost star running back and Super Bowl LX Most Valuable Player Kenneth Walker III to the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency, chose to stay put with the 32nd overall pick and select Price to be their main man. That comes into play because Seattle's depth chart at the position behind Walker consisted of Zach Charbonnet (who is recovering from a torn ACL suffered in the divisional round, and may not be ready to return until mid-season), free-agent pickup Emanuel Wilson (who has had his moments, but probably isn't a feature back), and role-players George Holani, Velus Jones Jr., and Kenny McIntosh (who's more of a receiving back, and is recovering from his own ACL injury).

So, that leaves a wide berth for Price in a way he hasn't seen since high school.

"Man... instant acceleration, vision, cutback ability, but his ability to work it back, not just completely bouncing all the time," Seahawks general manager John Schneider said of Price after the pick was made. "Just [cut] it back inside. And then, his contact balance. He has home run speed. He has a lot of explosive runs. He'd returned three kickoffs for touchdowns in his career. Two this year. That's such a unique feel. The USC game was ridiculous." Yeah, just like that. That instant acceleration."

In that USC game, a 34-24 Week 7 win for Notre Dame, Price gained 87 yards and scored a rushing touchdown on 13 carries, and he added 113 yards on two kick returns, including a 100-yard touchdown - one of two kick returns Price returned for touchdowns in the 2025 season. His efforts were somewhat obscured because Love gained 228 yards and scored a touchdown on 24 carries, adding 37 receiving yards on five catches), but the Seahawks got the memo.

As he said after the Seahawks selected him, Price has no regrets about staying at Notre Dame when other teams were champing at the bit to get him through the transfer portal.

"No, it was in my heart to stay at Notre Dame," Price remembered. "It's the place I love, and to build relationships with the guys in the locker room. What we had done the year before, going to the National Championship, that's what I wanted to do, and that's why I wanted to stay there. But also I made a challenge to myself to split reps with the best player in college football and I did that, and I showed that I can do it at the highest level. Sitting here now, it's the greatest decision I could have made."

If you don't believe the tape or the Seahawks' general manager, listen to Love, the third overall pick in the 2026 draft to the Arizona Cardinals. When I recently asked Love for a Jadarian Price scouting report, Love went deep on that one.

"I tell everybody that JD can do everything I can do," Love said. "I think the reason that JD isn't viewed in the light I am is because, you know, I've had the spotlight at Notre Dame. I've been the main premier back, and I feel like JD could have gone anywhere else in the country and been the main premier back. He's a great running back. And he has some tools in his bag that I don't have.

"I think JD's feet are faster than mine. He's a little bit more explosive than me from his first step. He can break more tackles than me, too. So, JD has a lot that he'll be able to use at the next level, and bring to a team so that they can have success. JD's got the same work ethic, you know? I've been in a room with JD for three years. So I know him outside the game and inside the game.

"He's a great person, and he's also a good football player. Whichever team is blessed to get JD, I mean, they'll basically get me in another form. Because if you put him in the right positions, and you allow him to be himself, he's going to be great. That's what I would say to NFL teams. And that's what I've told them every time they ask me about JD. Because it's the truth. I've been around him. I got to see him work."

Jadarian Price has had to wait his turn to show everything he can do, but in the end, he may have found the ideal spot for his unique talents.

Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 3:55 AM.

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