Desmond Howard Upset With ‘Baffling’ Heisman Voting

The ESPN analyst and 1991 Heisman winner had issue with how the top four ended up.

It was all smiles for Caleb Williams on Saturday night when it was announced he was the 2022 Heisman winner after a spectacular season for USC. However, not everyone was happy with how it shook out. ESPN’s Desmond Howard couldn’t help but air out some frustrations he had with the voting process this year while congratulating Williams online. 

“Another successful Heisman show in the books,” Howard said on Twitter. “Congrats to Caleb Williams. How Corum and Hooker did not receive enough votes to be on the stage is baffling. Enjoy your weekend and holidays.”

Howard, the 1991 Heisman Trophy winner, is referring to Michigan running back Blake Corum and Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker. 

• Related: 2022 Heisman Trophy voting totals

Corum was considered a Heisman favorite before suffering a season-ending knee injury. His season ended with 1,543 yards from scrimmage and 19 total touchdowns. Meanwhile, Hooker’s season ended on Nov. 19 when he tore his ACL. He finished in fifth place in Heisman voting after registering 3,135 passing yards and 27 touchdown passes with just two interceptions, plus 430 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns. 

The top four finalists for the this year’s award, Williams, Georgia’s Stetson Bennett, Ohio State’s CJ Stroud and TCU’s Max Duggan, were invited to the Heisman ceremony in New York.

It appears Howard has an issue with how injuries to Hooker and Corum appeared to keep them off the Heisman stage despite their impressive seasons.