Texas and Steve Sarkisian attempt to lure away Kirk Herbstreit's golden retriever, Ben, who is already "committed" to Ohio State. Credit: ESPN’s “College GameDay”
College FootballBy Sam Neumann on

Another of Kirk Herbstreit’s sons has a decision to make on the recruiting trail.

He has plenty of suitors, and it’s hard to find anybody with negative things to say about this older prospect. In fact, all you hear about is what a good boy he is. In the age of NIL and the transfer portal, it’s hard to know what recruits are looking for in a future program, but we know that Ben Herbstreit will choose whatever program gives him the most treats and head scratches.

We’re talking about Kirk’s golden retriever, Ben, of course. His 10-year-old furry friend made the trip to Austin, Texas, alongside Kirk at Raising Canes on Friday — as was Awful Announcing.

And while he wasn’t on full display during College GameDay Saturday, the efforts to woo him were. Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian made no qualms about attempting to curry favor with America’s most beloved golden retriever and presented him with something on behalf of the University.

No, the Longhorns don’t need him in their lineup for Saturday’s game against No. 5 Georgia, as Isaiah Bond looks like he’ll be a go. Akin to Air Bud, there’s no rule explicitly banning a dog from playing football. But if Texas needed a golden ‘receiver’ like Ben, he’d need to de-commit from Ohio State first.

That’s according to Rece Davis, who had some fun poking at the hype around courting Ben.

“I got something for you, Kirk, but it’s really for Ben, man,” said Sarkisian. “We’re just trying to recruit as many good players as possible. So, I know he’s probably a Buckeye, but we got to make him a Longhorn, man.”

Ben is the only “dawg” that’s allowed on campus this weekend.

The other ones weren’t exactly welcomed with open arms.

“Pete Thamel just reporting that Ben has just decommitted from Ohio State,” quipped Davis.

Well, Ben was committed to Oregon last week; now Texas.

If that isn’t perfect symbolism for the current state of college football, we aren’t sure what is.

[College GameDay]

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.

View all posts by Sam Neumann