Legendary Football Coach Endorses MAGA-Aligned Candidate With ICE Background

Legendary Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer has endorsed Madison Sheahan, a candidate in the Republican primary for Ohio’s 9th Congressional District.

Meyer — who guided the Buckeyes to a college football championship victory in 2014 — announced the endorsement in a video statement. “Hi, I’m Coach Urban Meyer and I spent a lifetime on the sidelines competing building great teams and winning championships. So I know exactly what a winner looks like. That’s Madison Sheahan,” the three-time champion coach began.

He went on to highlight Sheahan’s background as a Buckeye athlete and her role in a leadership initiative he established. “She was a Buckeye athlete. She fought and she led when [we] built our varsity leadership program. Madison helped me forge in the next generation of champions teaching grit, accountability, toughness,” Meyer continued.

“Now listen up Northwest Ohio. You need a fighter in DC. Someone who competes for you every single day. That’s Madison Sheahan. She got my endorsement. Now give her yours. She is a battle-tested Buckeye. Vote for Madison Sheahan for Congress. Go Bucks.”

Meyer, who coached Ohio State from 2012 to 2018 and led the program to a national championship in 2014, has maintained ties to the university and its athletes. Sheahan participated in the varsity leadership program he helped develop during his tenure.

The race is for Ohio’s 9th Congressional District, which encompasses northwest Ohio, including the city of Toledo and surrounding areas. Following redistricting by the Ohio General Assembly in 2025, the district’s boundaries were adjusted to make the district more competitive.

Incumbent Rep. Marcy Kaptur, a Democrat who has represented the district since 1983, is seeking re-election, while five candidates are vying for the Republican nomination.

Sheahan is a native of Curtice, Ohio, and a graduate of Ohio State University, where she captained the women’s rowing team and earned Big Ten championship honors. She previously served as deputy director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) before resigning to pursue the congressional seat this past January.

According to the Cook Political Report’s Partisan Voter Index (PVI), Ohio’s 9th Congressional District is rated R+3, making it a prime flip target for the GOP this November.

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