Howard vs. Morehouse Is More Than a Game This Year, and Ted White Knows It

The Howard-Morehouse football rivalry has quietly become one of the must-watch games on the HBCU calendar, and this year it’s got an extra layer of heat. The Bison and the Maroon Tigers meet Oct. 17 in Washington, D.C., as part of Howard’s homecoming, and first-year head coach Ted White isn’t treating it like just another week on the schedule.

White, a Howard legend himself, sat down with Dr. Kenyatta Cavill at MEAC Media Day and made it clear that this matchup carries weight beyond the scoreboard.

“When you’re talking about a Morehouse and Howard game, you’re talking about two prestigious universities with some notable alumni who graduated from those institutions and are doing major things in this country,” White said.

The series has become a regular thing in recent years. Howard has won every meeting since 2022, including two straight editions of the HBCU NY Classic in 2024 and 2025. But this year the game shifts back to Howard’s campus, and White expects the crowd to turn the place into something special.

“We get an opportunity not only to play them, but we get a chance to play them at homecoming. It’s going to be an amazing atmosphere,” White said. “We’ve got to see exactly how we want to make sure this game is remembered. It’s going to be a great homecoming game. I’m pretty sure it’s going to be sold out. I’m pretty sure the city is going to be jumping.”

Morehouse’s future is part of the conversation now

White’s comments landed at a moment when Morehouse’s place in college football is being debated more openly than ever. Athletic director Harold Ellis recently told Cavill’s Inside the HBCU Sports Lab that the Maroon Tigers are ready for a jump to Division I and the FCS level.

“I want Ashley Robinson. I want Kerry Davis. I want those guys. I want our brand… We’ve never been this high in athletics, and we’re not done,” Ellis said. “Morehouse is coming.”

Ellis didn’t stop there. He doubled down on the idea that Morehouse belongs in a higher division.

“Next year… move us out of this division. Put us with the big dogs because I want them. I know if I get them… I can beat them now. Trust me, I’mma double up the work.”

For what it’s worth, Howard’s vice president of athletics, Kery Davis, said he’d welcome the move. He told reporters at the MEAC-SWAC Challenge press conference in Atlanta that Morehouse would be a strong addition to Division I HBCU programs, pointing to similarities beyond athletics.

“They’re similar to us in that they have a great academic background portfolio,” Davis said.

So yeah, Oct. 17 isn’t just about a rivalry game. It’s also a glimpse at what that rivalry could look like down the road if Morehouse makes the leap. Either way, White’s got his team focused on one thing: making sure the homecoming crowd remembers this one.