Jon "JR" Rhoades 
Desmond Howard on the ESPN set last year at the National Championship.
Desmond Howard, the former Heisman Trophy winner and now ESPN football analyst, has once again found himself at the center of more terrible analysis, this time for his comments about Ohio State and head coach Ryan Day.
In a recent discussion on the ESPN morning show, Get Up, Howard suggested that Ohio State may have brought in Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator to have a backup plan if they decide to part ways with Day. He stated, “Some fans will say, ‘Well if we got rid of Ryan Day, who will we hire?’ They went out and hired Chip Kelly as the offensive coordinator. So if things go awry, I think they have someone behind Ryan Day where they can say, ‘Chip Kelly can be the next coach too.'”
This comment is just the latest example of Howard’s blatant bias and questionable analysis that has left many questioning why ESPN continues to employ him. His remarks seem to be less about providing insightful analysis and more about pushing narratives that align with his obvious disdain for Ohio State—an attitude that has been apparent for years.
To the outside observer, hiring Chip Kelly might seem like a fair option. However, context is key and it is something Howard seems to lack in much of what he says.
Success has been hard to come by for Kelly as a head coach lately and him leaving his head coaching job at UCLA to take the Ohio State Offensive Coordinator position is just one of the many examples that Kelly is no longer interested in being a head coach and just wants to coach football.
Why would Ohio State hire someone to be their head coach who no longer wants to be their head coach? Quote simply, they wouldn’t. Ohio State is arguably the best program in college football and they would have a long list of aspiring head coaches they would hire before Kelly. If Howard believes Ohio State would hire someone on staff, there are numerous former Ohio State players like linebackers coach James Laurinaitis and wide receiver coach Brian Hartline would both be considered before Chip Kelly. And that’s not even to mention the current head coaches in college football like Marcus Freeman who is at Notre Dame, Eddie George who is at Tennessee State, or Luke Fickell who is at Wisconsin. And that doesn’t even bring up long time Tennessee Titans head coach, Mike Vrabel.
As an analyst, Howard has a responsibility to offer fair and balanced commentary. However, his unwillingness to criticize his alma mater, the University of Michigan, while frequently targeting Ohio State, highlights a clear double standard. It’s one thing to have a rivalry; it’s another to let that rivalry cloud professional judgment. His inability to assess teams without bias undermines his credibility and ESPN’s reputation as a sports network that prides itself on objective coverage.
For viewers who tune in expecting impartial analysis, Howard’s commentary often feels more like a Michigan pep rally than a serious sports discussion. His consistent failure to provide critical insights about his own team, while taking every opportunity to cast Ohio State in a negative light, shows a lack of professionalism that ESPN should not tolerate.
ESPN should be ashamed of continuing to provide a platform for Howard’s biased narratives. In a role that demands fairness, Howard falls short, leaving fans frustrated and questioning the integrity of the network’s coverage. If ESPN values credibility, it’s time they reconsider the voices they amplify—starting with Desmond Howard.
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