While his job is the top college football analyst for ESPN, Kirk Herbstreit is an Ohio State alum and has not been shy about his affinity for his alma mater.
That doesn’t mean Herbstreit is a full-on Buckeye homer. He’s gone to war with the fanbase multiple times, most recently over the treatment of head coach Ryan Day by the ‘lunatic fringe.” Yet despite this headbutting, Herbstreit couldn’t help but get emotional after Ohio State beat Notre Dame to win the national championship, with part of that likely being because his son Zak is a member of the Buckeyes.
“At the end of the day, I’m no different than anybody sitting on their couch, I just prepare and talk about it,” Herbstreit said ahead of the national championship game, per Eleven Warriors. “I’m an Ohio State junkie. And so when they do well, and I’m able to enjoy it, there’s nobody more thrilled than me. So yeah, I’ll be locked in, and if that scarlet gray confetti comes down, I’m gonna be trying to race to get to the field to hug my son and be a part of that celebration if they’re lucky enough to win.”
Zak is only one of Herbstreit’s sons though. Two others played at Clemson, and in December, the youngest boy Chase stunned many when he announced he was committing to Michigan, OSU’s biggest rival.
It was a decision that earned Kirk Herbstreit some hate online, though he said he attempted to ignore it.
“I haven’t seen a whole lot of reaction intentionally,” Herbstreit said of the backlash at the time.
“I know that 80 percent of people are thrilled and 20 percent are jackasses. I just decided – it’s one thing to take shots at me, but if you take a shot at me, and you want to get into a fight, it’s not hard for me to do that. So I just try to ignore that stuff the best I can and stay focused on the positive.”
On Monday, a photo of the Herbstreit family on Chase’s visit to Michigan began circulating. In the picture, Kirk is sporting maize and blue gear.
“Michigan QB Chase Herbstreit on his official visit with his family, including father Kirk. The OSU alum wearing blue and supporting his son. I’ve heard a lot of awful stories from recruiting with parents, yeah the rivalry, but maybe just props for being a good dad,” said Trevor McCue of the Maize and Blue Review.
Michigan QB Chase Herbstriet on his official visit with his family, including father Kirk. The OSU alum wearing blue and supporting his son. I’ve heard a lot of awful stories from recruiting with parents, yeah the rivalry, but maybe just props for being a good dad. pic.twitter.com/s3mdL0yIha
— Trevor McCue (@trevormccue) February 3, 2025
Some people won’t like seeing this, but this is Herbstreit’s son we’re talking about. Family comes first, always.
Interestingly, Kirk said that Chase was the biggest Ohio State diehard of all of his kids, but the Buckeyes ultimately never offered him a scholarship.
Instead, he’ll be taking his talents to Ann Arbor.
Related: Kirk Herbstreit Reacts To His Son Committing To Michigan