Urban Meyer claims Heisman Trophy ceremony should invite 10 players every year

There is no individual honor in college football more prestigious than the Heisman Trophy. With a massive ceremony in New York, it’s become a special night for the finalists. Now, former head coach Urban Meyer would like to see the field of invited players expanded to 10 players.

The Heisman ceremony came up during a recent episode of The Triple Option. There, they were discussing Jacob Rodriguez, the linebacker from Texas Tech who has started to get some Heisman buzz, but is still considered a long shot to even be invited for the ceremony in New York.

Rodriguez has been put into games on the offensive side of the ball by Texas Tech, even allowing him to score a rushing touchdown. That’s something that’s helped highlight him in his case for the Heisman. It’s also something relatively standard, according to Meyer.

“I’ve done to the point where I remember,” Urban Meyer said. “I think it was JT [Barrett], that we were playing a team that I knew we were going to beat bad. I said to the coordinator, ‘Throw it every down.’ He had like five touchdowns in the first half and one was on the one-yard line. I’m listening to the headset. I said, ‘No. I told you to throw the ball.’ Why am I doing that? Because I think it’s an obligation of the coach to fight for his players. So, I love that. Would you expect anything less from that guy? Coach [Joey] McGuire, that guy’s tremendous. He’s a former high school coach, which tells you how he cares about his players. I love that guy, I love that program. I think they’re doing great.”

In the latest odds to win the Heisman, Rodriguez is getting the ninth-best odds to win the award. If he were to finish ninth in voting, that’s a phenomenal season, particularly for a defensive player. However, it’s also not going to be good enough for him to get invited to the ceremony. So, with that in mind, Meyer suggested inviting 10 finalists.

“If I was in charge of the Heisman,” Meyer said. “I’d invite 10 people every year. The 10 top players… Go get another sponsor… I’d send all 10. It’s too good of an experience. I’ve been there, probably, seven, eight times.”

Mark Ingram pushed back slightly, pointing out that it’s expensive to invite players to New York. However, Urban Meyer didn’t seem overly concerned about the cost, emphasizing the honor and the experience over that.

Ultimately, Rodriguez probably isn’t winning the Heisman as a defensive player. A year ago, Travis Hunter won the award, but as a two-way player. A purely defensive player hasn’t won it since Charles Woodson in 1997. Even then, he was noted for his special teams production.