Ohio State just made a move that nobody really saw coming. The Buckeyes are bringing a veteran NFL scout into their college football operation, and the internet has had a lot to say about it.

ESPN's Analyst Pete Thamel reported on Tuesday, June 30, that Ohio State is hiring veteran NFL scout Andy Howell as a college scout.

"Sources: Ohio State is hiring veteran NFL scout Andy Howell as a college scout. He's worked 14 seasons in the NFL with the Browns, Jets and the Dolphins for the last 10 years," Thamel posted on X.

Howell is an Ohio native who graduated from Ohio University with a sports management degree before making his way into the NFL. He spent the last decade specifically with the Miami Dolphins, working as a scout before making the move to the college side.

Other than Miami, he worked for the Cleveland Browns and the New York Jets.

The portal is basically a second recruiting season now. Ohio State wants someone on staff who can accurately evaluate talent, and that's exactly what Howell brings to the table.

The same skills used to evaluate NFL players also apply to college football. With so many players entering the transfer portal each offseason, programs need people who can quickly identify the right fits.

Howell becomes the 12th full-time front office employee at Ohio State. As college football continues to evolve in the NIL era, Ryan Day has been growing Ohio State's front office. This move is part of that ongoing strategy.

His biggest impact is expected to come next offseason when the portal window opens. For now, he's settling into the college side of scouting for the first time in his career, after helping as an assistant on the Bobcats football staff.

Meanwhile, fans made their feelings clear about the hire.

Buckeye fans react to Andy Howell's hire

Not everyone is on board with the move, though. Fans quickly weighed in with their thoughts.

"Lol. So he worked for some of the worst NFL teams? What a disaster hire," one fan said. The Dolphins went 7-10 last season while the Browns were stuck at 5-12.

For fans of a program that only operates at the top level, the concern is valid. If you're going to bring in an NFL scout, the expectation is that his work helped build winning rosters.

"Browns. Jets. Dolphins. Not exactly an outstanding resume," another fan added. According to Howell's LinkedIn profile, he served as the scouting assistant for the Browns from May 2012 to May 2013.

All three franchises have spent the better part of two decades near the bottom of the NFL standings. The track record of those organizations makes it hard for some fans to immediately trust the evaluation coming out of them.

"Let's hope he's leaving the NFL because those organisations ignored his stellar advice," one fan noted.

A scout's job is to find the player and make the case. What happens after that is out of his hands. Coaches say no, front offices override, and the scout moves on. Howell may have flagged the right guys for years and never seen a single one of them actually signed.

"The Buckeyes aren't messing around," another fan said.

Ohio State's front office now includes 12 full-time staff members, highlighting the program's emphasis on strengthening its football operations.

Do you think hiring an NFL scout is the right move for Ohio State's transfer portal strategy? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Farheen Fathima

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar