The Texas Longhorns were no stranger to making headlines during the regular season. This included some wild talk about Steve Sarkisian’s future with the program, which the head coach made sure to shut down emphatically.
Former Heisman Trophy winner and current ESPN analyst Desmond Howard added fuel to this fire when he delivered some out-of-nowhere comments following Texas’ loss to Georgia on Nov. 15 that insinuated Sarkisian would leaving the Longhorns this offseason in pursuit of a different job.
But ironically, it was instead Howard’s Michigan Wolverines that fired their head coach, Sherrone Moore, on Wednesday after an investigation discovered he was having an “inappropriate relationship” with a female staffer.
Desmond Howard’s Comments Come Back to Bite Him
Desmond Howard on the ESPN Gameday set at Rose Bowl Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Howard’s comments toward Texas didn’t mention Sarkisian directly, but resulted in the head coach being forced to publicly shut down the speculation while reaffirming his commitment to the Longhorns.
“Don’t be surprised if that Texas job opens up at the end of the season,” Howard said on social media in the original post. “You guys were shocked when LSU opened up. Imagine how you’re going to feel if that job in Austin pops open. I’m not calling or saying anyone’s going to get fired, maybe a mutual parting of ways.”
So once the Sherrone Moore news shook the college football world, Texas fans quickly made sure to let Howard that the tables had turned.
Did Desmond Howard make a video taking out thrash talking about Sherrone Moore looking for another job yet? Just curious is all .
— Pauly P (@Pauly_Texas) December 10, 2025
Desmond Howard should have said “watch Ann Arbor” as he was taking out his trash.
— Claudia (@TexasEx10) December 10, 2025
Y’all were shocked when that Michigan job opened up. #HookEm https://t.co/kwLweoyI6p
— TheOrangeIsBurnt (@sandersism) December 10, 2025
One Texas reporter, CJ Vogel of OnTexasFootball, even playfully mocked Howard with a video mimicking the one that went viral while Howard was taking out the trash.
Take a look:
Happy Wednesday PM! A lil sumthin sumthin you can only get here.#justmythoughts pic.twitter.com/AtEk6liGmv
— CJ Vogel (@CJVogel_OTF) December 10, 2025
Sarkisian himself even referenced “taking out the trash” during one of his final comments on the situation. He never mentioned Howard directly but it was clear that the frustrations were directed at the former Michigan star.
“Maybe (it’s) for some of the pundits out there that don’t cover me and cover our program on a regular basis,” Sarkisian said. “So that they understand they can’t just take their trash out and have a thought to think, ‘Hey, I think Texas is going to have a job opening.’ I don’t know. Think about something else when you are taking your trash.”
With Moore now fired, the Wolverines will begin what fixes to be a wild coaching search.
Coincidentally enough, Texas and Michigan will be facing off to close out each program’s 2025 season on New Year’s Eve the Citrus Bowl in Orlando.
