Urban Meyer reveals if he still thinks Tennessee can win the national championship after picking Vols as a darkhorse earlier this year
Earlier this year, former Ohio State Buckeyes/Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer picked the Tennessee Vols as a "darkhorse" to win the national championship in 2025. Meyer made that declaration a couple of months before quarterback Nico Iamaleava left the Tennessee football program. "Nico, the quarterback at Tennessee, I have them (as a dark horse […]
Earlier this year, former Ohio State Buckeyes/Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer picked the Tennessee Vols as a "darkhorse" to win the national championship in 2025.
Meyer made that declaration a couple of months before quarterback Nico Iamaleava left the Tennessee football program.
"Nico, the quarterback at Tennessee, I have them (as a dark horse to win it all)," said Meyer on The Triple Option in February. "I remember when I first started studying them last year, I called Brady Quinn and Matt Leinart and said, 'What am I missing here? This guy looks like Aaron Rodgers'. The ball comes out of his hand like a tennis ball."
"He got really inconsistent," continued Meyer. "And the team around him got a little inconsistent. They still had a heck of a year. If that kid grows as a quarterback, he could be — you know, I asked the question after watching [Tennessee], and I know he wasn't playing great teams, but just his physical ability, his size, speed, athleticism, and the ball comes out [good], I saw him as a high first-round draft pick. Now, that remains to be seen, but I'll pick Tennessee (as a dark horse option to win the national championship)."
Meyer updated his championship picks this week on The Triple Option and he no longer views Tennessee as a legitimate national championship contender.
"Tennessee's gone," said Meyer while discussing potential national championship contenders. "I had them (as a championship contender). This was before the Nico transfer. Which still, to this day, I'm scratching my head, saying, 'What in the world happened there?' There's gonna be a story someday about what happened. I don't know what it is. Why would you leave a team that just made the playoffs? He's as talented of a quarterback as I've seen in a long time. And he's at UCLA, which is great, but I don't understand it."
Meyer noted that he likes Ohio State, Texas, and Penn State as programs that could win it all in 2025.
As for Meyer's take on the Vols, it's certainly fair. The media's expectations for Tennessee in 2025 were understandably reset once Iamaleava left the program.
UT head coach Josh Heupel and his players, however, still have the same expectations for 2025 — to win it all. And they aren't concerned whether anyone in the media, or any ex-coaches, share that belief.
