Desmond Howard on Michigan before Texas game: 'They understand the moment'

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan Wolverines football 1991 Heisman Trophy winner and current ESPN analyst Desmond Howard met with a group of five reporters at the ‘College GameDay’ set as the popular pregame show prepares to broadcast live from Ann Arbor Saturday morning ahead of No. 10 U-M vs. No. 3 Texas.

Howard, who was also on hand for Michigan’s 30-10 win over Fresno State to open the season, is always excited to return to his school.

“I had tremendous coaches, I had a great mentor,” Howard said. “I had some really good people around me who helped shape me into the man I became then and ultimately who I am right now. Had some great coaches and a wonderful mentor, my man [consultant] Greg Harden.”

Michigan’s offense totaled only 269 yards against Fresno State, leading to some concerns coming out of senior quarterback Davis Warren‘s first collegiate start. However, Howard noted that the Wolverines could’ve held a lot back knowing the Longhorns are looming.

“I don’t know this from speaking to any coaches, but if I was a coach and I knew I had the Longhorns coming in here next week, I’m not going to show a lot,” Howard, who began working at ESPN in 2005, said. “At the same time, you have a new offensive line you’re trying to break in, so you want to see what they have.

“A lot of coaches around the country are trying to figure out their personnel. There are a lot of games … you look at the Clemson game vs. Georgia, that game was 6-0 at halftime. In the second half, Georgia ran away with it. The Ohio State game against Akron, I think, was 17-3 at halftime, and they have the best roster in all of college football right now.

“I say this because there are a lot of coaches who are still trying to figure out what they have — Michigan included. Obviously, new offensive line and new quarterback, so it’s gonna take some time — but you don’t have a lot of time now, because these games live and they all count.”

Michigan lost 10 starters on offense, most notably, and other key pieces on the defense, but many of the contributors this season either played a role in or saw up close what it took to win a national championship.

“I think since these guys were around a year ago and they understand the culture, they know what it takes to win in big games like this, I think it helps them tremendously, as opposed to having transfers in who don’t really know the culture, they’ve never been in situations like this and they may get a little spooked,” the Michigan legend said. “So I think it helps them a lot. They understand the language, they understand the moment and they understand what it takes to go out there and play and perform at a high level.”

When Howard was a player, Michigan took on Notre Dame, Miami, Wake Forest, UCLA, Maryland, Boston College and Florida State in non-conference play. A matchup like the Wolverines and Longhorns excites him.

“I love early challenges,” the former Michigan wide receiver said. “I love being being in competitive games early. When I was here, non-conference games we played like Maryland, UCLA, Notre Dame — teams like that. And then we got to our Big Ten Conference schedule. So I’m a big fan of it; I love it.”

This will be Michigan’s first big game with Sherrone Moore as the full-time head coach, after he served as acting head man on four game days last season. There’s no question Moore comes Howard-approved.

“I’ve spent some time with Coach Moore,” Howard said. “I think he’s just a wonderful individual, a great human being, fantastic coach. I love the culture. And the good thing is that he was on staff with [former Michigan head] Coach [Jim] Harbaugh, so he understands what the culture is and how to maintain it and how to sustain it, so it’s always a good thing.”

Desmond Howard on Michigan’s 2023 national championship

Howard and his fellow former players watched on as Michigan completed a perfect, 15-0 season with the program’s 12th-ever national championship. He was extremely proud of the Wolverines.

“It was beautiful, because we say ‘the team, the team, the team,’ and you could tell that’s what they were all about,” Howard said.

“They had great veteran leadership from [running back] Blake Corum to [quarterback] J.J. McCarthy to [defensive back] Mike Sainristil. I mean, you can go on and on and on, so it was a player-led team — and those are the best teams. Any team that I’ve ever been a part of that was a great team or a championship-caliber team, it was a player-led team, and they had great veteran leadership.

“It was fun to watch.”