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Urban Meyer reveals his Heisman Trophy prediction for the 2025 college football season

Joe Cox|
Legendary coach turned media personality Urban Meyer dropped his preseason Heisman pick and it might surprise some.
Legendary coach turned media personality Urban Meyer dropped his preseason Heisman pick and it might surprise some. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Clemson Tigers

Coach and media personality Urban Meyer dipped into some preseason predictions on The Triple Option podcast, including a surprising Heisman Trophy choice. Meyer, who won national titles at Florida and Ohio State, discussed the season to come with fellow podcasters Mark Ingram and Rob Stone and finished up with a few surprising picks, including a Heisman pick.

Meyer unveiled a pick of Clemson QB Cade Klubnik to win the Heisman Trophy. Klubnik has recently been projected as tied for the second most likely Heisman winner per betting lines. Meyer might have surprised in bypassing the SEC favorite (Texas's Arch Manning) or the Big Ten favorite (Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith) in favor of the ACC candidate for the Heisman.

Klubnik's Heisman Credentials

Klubnik has earned his spot in the college football spotlight. As a freshman, he sat behind DJ Uiagalelei for a struggling 2022 Clemson squad. He started as a sophomore, but Clemson lost four games and Klubnik's performance was only passable. He threw for 2,844 yards and 19 touchdowns against nine interceptions and showed flashes of the ability that would shine in 2024.

Klubnik led the Tigers to an ACC title and the CFP in 2024 by passing for 3,639 yards and 36 touchdowns against just six interceptions. After posting fairly unimpressive rushing stats previously, he also ran for 463 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024. Despite the impressive performance, Klubnik did not reach the Top 10 in Heisman voting last season.

The Tigers are favored to win the ACC in 2025. While Miami has a bumper crop of transfer portal standouts, Clemson's returning talent is impressive. New defensive coordinator Tom Allen is over from Penn State and should help the Tigers remain near the top of the ACC.

Meyer's Heisman History

Urban Meyer's Heisman thoughts and perhaps more significant than most, given his own coaching experience. Not only did Meyer win a trio of national titles, but he coached Heisman Trophy winning QB Tim Tebow in Tebow's award winning 2007 season, as well as Dewayne Haskins' third-place campaign in 2018.

After compiling a 22-2 mark in two seasons at Utah, Meyer took the Florida job. He won two national titles with the Gators and amassed a 65-15 mark. Health issues led Meyer to retire from the Florida job, but after a single season off, he resurfaced at Ohio State. Meyer led the Buckeyes to an 83-9 mark and another title before again retiring for health reasons. Meyer yet again returned, this time to post a 2-11 mark with the Jacksonville Jaguars before being fired following allegations of physical abuse from kicker Josh Lambo.

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Joe Cox
JOE COX

Joe is a journalist and writer who covers college and professional sports. He has written or co-written over a dozen sports books, including several regional best sellers. His last book, A Fine Team Man, is about Jackie Robinson and the lives he changed. Joe has been a guest on MLB Network, the Paul Finebaum show and numerous other television and radio shows. He has been inside MLB dugouts, covered bowl games and conference tournaments with Saturday Down South and still loves telling the stories of sports past and present.

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