Urban Meyer believes Archie Griffin is in danger of not being only two-time Heisman winner after 2023
USC QB Caleb Williams is looking to become the second-ever two-time or back-to-back Heisman Trophy winner in the award’s history this season. While it’s an incredibly rare feat, though, Urban Meyer believes Archie Griffin may need to make room for some company in that exclusive club.
Meyer spoke about Griffin’s chances to remain the only two-time or consecutive Heisman winner on the latest episode of ‘Urban’s Take’. He admitted that he has always worried about Griffin losing that label considering how much younger the Heisman winners are today. Add in the talent that Williams is with the Trojans and Meyer realizes that Griffin may not be along before long.
“Archie is a great friend of mine,” Meyer said. “I think he’s in jeopardy every year. Heisman Trophy winners? There’s no seniors anymore. Seniors don’t win Heismans because seniors are gone. There’s not many seniors in power football anymore because they leave early for the draft.”
“We had a sophomore win it in Tim Tebow, Johnny Manziel won it as a freshman,” said Meyer. “(Williams) is really good so, yes, he’s in jeopardy of losing it.”
We saw Alabama QB Bryce Young endanger Griffin’s case just last year after he won the award in 2021. Several players, specifically many in the last decade, have also had the chance to go back-to-back with only a handful of seniors winning the award in the past 15 seasons.
Still, Williams might have the best chance yet out of all the potential consecutive winner candidates. In his first season as a full-time starter with USC, he threw for 4,537 yards, third most in the nation. He also posted 42 touchdowns, the most in the country.
Now, as the projected No. 1 pick in the next NFL Draft, he’s back with the Trojans to lead them one final time in the Pac-12 and to help them make a case for the College Football Playoff.
Records are meant to be broken, regardless of how old or improbable they are. With that in mind, it could be that time for Griffin’s achievement based on how Meyer sees Williams’ case playing out this fall.
Williams shares what is different entering second year at USC
As if the Pac-12 didn’t have enough to worry about, Caleb Williams isn’t taking his foot off the gas. Comfortable and confident heading into the new season, he might leave the rest of the conference in the dust.
Williams isn’t taking any prisoners on his path to the College Football Playoff in 2023. He’s as poised as ever under head coach Lincoln Riley.
“Not just for myself, but for everybody overall. Most of the guys that are playing have been in the offense for a while. But confidence in the scheme and things like that,” Williams said of his team’s comfortability. “After you get a year under your belt, you get a bunch of trials and tribulations. You get a bunch of successful plays and things like that, but [it helps build] confidence overall. Then you get to work on it during the whole summer, and that’s what we’ve been doing.”
If Williams’ comfort and confidence are both improved heading into 2023? He is about to put college football on notice again.