Kirk Herbstreit Says “There’s Nobody More Thrilled Than Me” When Ohio State Does Well, But Fully Supports Son’s Decision to Play at Michigan

While the former Ohio State quarterback has drawn the ire of many Buckeye fans because of his comments last month describing 15-20% of the Ohio State fanbase as “lunatic fringe,” the ESPN commentator says he’ll be as happy as anyone – even if he can’t openly root for the Buckeyes during Monday night’s game broadcast – if Ohio State wins this year’s national championship.

“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 at Saturday’s national championship game media day. “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.”

Herbstreit’s pointed comments during the fourth quarter of Ohio State’s first-round College Football Playoff game against Tennessee came in defense of Ryan Day, who faced heavy scrutiny entering the CFP after the Buckeyes suffered their fourth straight loss to Michigan in November. While Day’s job security is no longer in question with Ohio State’s run to the national championship game, Herbstreit continued to praise the Ohio State coach on Saturday, expressing a belief that Day will cement his standing as one of college football’s elite coaches if the Buckeyes beat Notre Dame on Monday night.

“He’s the winningest active coach in the country,” Herbstreit said. “I know that four straight losses to Michigan, for some people, really resonates. And I get it; I mean, I went through that as a player, there’s nothing worse. I’m not belittling that. I’m just saying, if you look at what he’s done – to me, what he’s done after Michigan, I mean, that was a state of disarray, just the Ohio State football family, when I say team, fans, just everything, fourth straight loss. And then the flag situation and the response on the back end. And for him to right the ship, and have this team play the way they did against Tennessee, and then go out to Pasadena and play as dominant as they did out there, and then to take on Texas’ best shot … I mean, he wins big games.

“So for me, what he’s done after Michigan says everything I would need to know. If that confetti comes down Monday night, he gets the last laugh. And it’ll be interesting to see his response, because you go into a different stratosphere when you win a national championship. And I don’t think he needs that, but if he gets it, I mean that’s, nobody can say anything to him, regardless of what happens in any game when you win a national championship.”

Herbstreit has always made a point of remaining objective while calling games – to the point that he’s sometimes seen as being overly critical of Ohio State – but he said it was hard not to cheer when Jack Sawyer secured the Buckeyes’ place in the national championship game with his 83-yard scoop-and-score against Texas in the CFP semifinals.

“I try to do a pretty good job. I don’t go out of my way to like, I just call a game, but I’m a fan, I’m a human. So when he returned that touchdown, I mean, part of me is kind of like the fan in me comes out,” said Herbstreit, who’s called all of Ohio State’s College Football Playoff games alongside Chris Fowler. “Then they do Carmen Ohio (after the game), that for me is where I can finally let my guard down and be in the moment.”

Herbstreit feels a particularly strong connection to this year’s team because of his son, Zak Herbstreit, who will be on the Buckeyes’ sideline as a member of their roster for the final time on Monday night. While Zak, a walk-on tight end, is no longer able to play football after he was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy in 2023, he’s remained with the team for the past two seasons. Kirk is grateful for the unwavering support Day and Ohio State have given his son.

“The way Ryan Day and the staff put their arms around him, found him a role, it wasn’t just like, ‘Hey, you have a heart, see you later,’ it was, ‘Hey, let’s find a way to keep you involved.’ And he’s almost like a GA, really,” Kirk Herbstreit said. “He’s thrilled. I don’t know if there’s anybody on the team that’s more thrilled for the team than Zak. And the way the guys have been, I’m watching him on the sideline, he’s a part of it, he’s interacting, what a life experience for him to be able to have for the rest of his life after what he was facing, maybe a heart transplant just two years ago, and then to be here. So I don’t take any of that for granted. And for me to be able to call these games, looking down every once in a while and seeing him down there, yeah, it’s cool. It takes all I’ve got not to get a tear in my eye when I’m going through that, it’s awesome.”

“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.”– Kirk Herbstreit

Next season, however, Kirk will be watching his youngest son play for Ohio State’s biggest rival. Chase Herbstreit, a three-star quarterback from Cincinnati’s St. Xavier High School, signed with Michigan in December. Despite his history as a Buckeye, Kirk said he fully supports his son’s decision to play for the team up north.

“It’s his life,” Kirk said. “My dad was really cool with me, he was a former captain (at Ohio State), and I was recruited by a lot of schools, and he kind of stayed out of it. I knew I was gonna be a Buckeye all along. Of all my sons, my son Chase is the biggest Ohio State junkie, cry when they lose kind of kid. But Michigan gave him an opportunity. There are so many kids in Ohio that grow up that way where they love Ohio State and they dream of playing for Ohio State but the opportunity’s not there, so you’re not gonna not play football. So he was talking to a lot of other schools, and Michigan ended up providing an opportunity to go and be on scholarship. And for him, it was a no-brainer.

“I’m there as a sounding board, I’m there to listen to him, and I’m there to be his biggest fan. So if he wants to go to Michigan, then I support it 1,000% as a dad. It’s a great program, unbelievable academics, great institution and I’m honored that he has a chance to go up there and play. And I’ll be right there with him, cheering him on.”