Miami Ohio RedHawks 2025 College Football Preview
Posted August 7, 2025
2024 Recap
Record – 9-5
ATS – 8-6
Things didn’t look great early on for the mighty RedHawks as they lost four (!) of their first five games and needed OT to slither past UMass (W 23-20) at home in Oxford. Then came the HEATER. Miami Ohio won their final seven MAC contests in a row and made the conference title came thanks to a clutch road win at Bowling Green to end of the regular season. The RedHawks were full of confidence heading into the MAC Championship looking for a repeat but they were POLEAXED by the Ohio Bobcats to the tune of 38-3. The 2024 campaign ended on a positive note with a bowl massacre of Colorado St in the SNOOP DOG CRACK FOR KIDS BOWL (W 43-17) to finish up at 9-5.
Can they back to the top of the MAC mountain in 2025?
Miami Ohio RedHawks 2025 Outlook
OFFENSE
Miami Ohio wasn’t very productive on offense LY as they were mediocre on the ground (135 YPG, #91 FBS, #8 MAC) and underwhelming thru the air (217 YPG, #80 FBS, #6 MAC). Grizzled veteran QB Brett Gabbert made a few too many mistakes (21-11 TD to INT) but he was very good in the 2nd half of the regular season. The RedHawks made a massive HEIST thru the portal by snagging former star Toledo QB De’Quan Finn (LY at Baylor) who was MAC POY in 2023 and the man who led the Rockets to a MAC Championship back in 2022. Finn is an extremely talented dual-threat QB that’s (again) one of the best players in the conference. The RedHawks will be without LY’s 1,000-yard RB Keyon Mozee and #2 RB Kevin Davis but they’ve got a decent 1-2 combo to lead the way this season in Jordan Brunson (299, 4 TD LY) and Kenny Tracy (5.4, 2 TD in 2023, dnp LY). The WR room needs a complete rebuild after losing their top-three (!) producers including a pair of talented 800-yard doods. Thankfully, the RedHawks did some serious work in the transfer portal and brought in a ton of transfer WRs, many of them from Power 4 programs. Our DEEP MAC INSIDERS are most excited about Deion Colzie (Notre Dame) and Cordale Russell (Colorado) but we’ll have to see how things progress over the summer. The primary concern on offense is an offensive line that lost all five starters and the hope is that they can cobble together a productive group with a combination of former backups and transfer bodies. The mobility at QB will definitely help them out.
DEFENSE
The RedHawks were very stingy as per usual LY (331 YPG, #33 FBS) and they were extremely effective defending the pass (#4 FBS pass efficiency D, 10-13 TD to INT). The stop unit will be stout once again this season but there are some question marks that need to be addressed. The starting DL is completely new and they’ll be without stud Brian Ugwu who was a team leader that led the team in sacks (7.5). DE/LB Adam Trick is a nice piece to build around (4.5 sacks) and keep your eye on transfer DE Kam Wilson who rolls into town from Cincinnati. Miami Ohio is gonna miss ace LB Matt Salopek who booked 122 tackles LY whilst also coming up with a sack and 3 INTs, but we’re happy to report that the LB unit still looks solid with the return of experienced players like Corban Hondru and Oscar McWood. The secondary features one of the best safety combos in the conference in Silas Walters (95 tackles, 12 PDs LY) and Eli Blakey (89 tackles), but it stings to lose all-Universe CB Raion Strader to Auburn !17 PBU LY!).
SPECIAL TEAMS
The RedHawks were excellent on special teams LY and we’re happy to report that they retain ace PK Dom Dzioban (26/30 FG LY, 7-11 from 40+ yards) who just might take over the punting duties as well. However, they’ll need to find a new primary KR and PR.
Schedule Analysis
Overall – It’s a balanced docket. They start with a pair of road games vs Big Ten opposition (Wisconsin, Rutgers) but it’s not like it’s Penn St and Ohio St. They have a pair of winnable non-conference tilts at home (UNLV, Lindenwood) before MAC play begins. Unfortunately, the RedHawks draw Ohio (A), Toledo (H), and Buffalo (A) and all three of those BAD BOYS take place in November.
Potential ATS Trouble Spot – Nothing spooky is noted.
Season Win Total
Market consensus – August 7
Over 6.5 +105
Under 6.5 -135
MEGALOCKS says:
Lean: Over
The RedHawks will almost certainly need to win five or six MAC games to hit the ‘over’ but they’ve got a reasonable shot to start 4-0 in conference play (at NIU, at Akron, E Michigan, W Michigan). We’re at least mildly-intrigued by the ‘over’.
Note – Our official list of season win total investments will be posted in the blog section of the website.
MEGAmazing Tidbits
After participating in only two bowl games from 2005 to 2019 the Redhawks have earned bowl bids in each of the last four seasons.
In 2003, Miami Ohio rolled to an incredible mark of 13-1 (!) behind the arm of legendary QB Ben Roethlisberger. The RedHawks opened the season with a loss to Iowa and then won thirteen games in a row including a MAC Championship blowout victory over Bowling Green (W 49-27), and a massacre of Louisville in the GMAC Bowl (W 49-28). This was the last version of the MAC title game to be hosted by one of the teams involved (Miami Ohio). Trivia nugget, bay-bee.
MEGALOCKS Forecast:
“Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” <Mark Twain>
The RedHawks lost a lot of key players from last season’s excellent squad but they’ve done a good job of reloading, particularly at QB, and you know that head coach Chuck Martin will have them ready for MACtion. We expect Miami Ohio to be right in the thick of things heading into November and if they can win two of the three BIG ‘UNS (see schedule commentary) they’ll likely be traveling to Detroit once again in December.