Kirk Herbstreit reveals that Will Howard was target of death threats after loss to Oregon

Criticism can be hard for everyone to escape in the age of social media, but especially high-profile athletes. ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit recently revealed that quarterback Will Howard was the victim of such mean-spiritedness this past season at Ohio State after a regular season loss against Oregon.

Those who tuned in for that game will remember the way it ended. Howard led the Buckeyes down to the 38-yard line, where they would have been able to attempt a long field goal to win the game. But Ohio State ran one more play with six seconds remaining on third-and-20.

Howard scrambled forward and allowed all six seconds to go off the clock before sliding as the game ended. The Buckeyes lost 32-31. Herbstreit revealed in a recent appearance on The Learning Leader with Ryan Hawk that Howard faced death threats from Ohio State fans who felt he was to blame.

“Will Howard, he took a knee against Oregon,” Herbstreit said. “He played his ass off at Oregon. He took a knee because he lost the time. And he took death threats. It’s so insane that these people have a voice to get to you. And you have just got to somehow insulate yourself the best you can. Because it is brutal.”

Howard would eventually get a shot at redemption against the Ducks in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. He made the most of it by leading the Buckeyes to a 41-21 victory in which he threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns.

Ohio State would go on to win the national championship against Notre Dame as that late blunder from the Oregon game became a distant memory for fans. Howard finished his career as a national champion while throwing for 4,010 yards and 35 touchdowns to 10 interceptions during his lone season in Columbus.

The quarterback would go on to be selected in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He certainly dealt with the early criticism he received this season to bounce back well, but Herbstreit warned that he certainly isn’t the first nor will he be the last to get this unfortunate treatment.

“It’s not easy what you guys are dealing with,” he said. “And I don’t mean just sports, I’m talking social stuff. You get to college football, you are playing on national TV, you miss a field goal when the game is on the line, you get death threats. Death threats. That is real.”