In his usual Friday appearance with local media heading into ESPN’s College GameDay this weekend in Oxford, Miss., analyst Kirk Herbstreit claimed he did not know “anything” about the political views of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who discussed the Protect College Sports Act last week on the show amid a chorus of heavy boos from his constituents.
Cruz’s appearance set off a news cycle of its own, given its overt political aims and the PCSA’s polarizing nature. The show notably did not bring a dissenting voice to Central Texas, but the criticism of the Cruz interview may have inspired ESPN to give NAACP president Derrick Johnson time on SportsCenter earlier this week.
Asked for his reaction on Friday, Herbstreit (who did not participate in the Cruz interview, which Rece Davis conducted) not only declined to address the debate over the PCSA or the politicization of GameDay but also said he didn’t “know anything about” Cruz’s politics.
“I don’t really get into politics. I’m kind of an independent guy, right down the middle of the fairway. I’m for America,” Herbstreit said.
“So whoever helps us as a country, I’m for. Whether that’s somebody on the left, somebody on the right. So I don’t really follow it. I don’t know anything about his political views; I don’t know what he’s for or against.
“I care about football and my family and my faith and my country. Those are things that I love. So I don’t really pick sides. And I was surprised. I didn’t know what his deal was. So him being booed, I had to ask people, ‘What’s going on here?’
“We had him on because they were going to be voting this week, and maybe he could give us some insight into what’s going on. That was really it. So we’re not picking sides in any way at all; we just want to see the chaos that’s surrounding the sport kind of be reeled in. And if this will help us get to that, then great.”
ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit comments on Ted Cruz’s controversial appearance on “College GameDay.”
Cruz appeared as a guest speaker on Sept. 12, where he promoted The Protect College Sports Act. The promotion drew criticism — with viewers pointing to a lack of an opposing viewpoint. pic.twitter.com/19bAiKiRFb
— Mississippi Today (@MSTODAYnews) September 18, 2026
Particularly since the arrival of Pat McAfee on GameDay, Herbstreit hasn’t been overly shy about sharing his political views. When McAfee interviewed President Trump on Veterans Day last year, Herbstreit told McAfee the show was “one of your best.” During the 2024 Summer Olympics, Herbstreit also weighed in on the controversy around Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, telling Outkick’s Dan Dakich that as a “Christian guy,” it’s hard to “turn the other cheek time after time.” He also said he had been “biting his tongue on a lot of topics” during the Biden administration. Later, Herbstreit partially walked back his take on Khelif and transgender athletes, likening the push-back he received to “conspiracy theories” from college football fans.
As Yahoo’s Dan Wolken pointed out, Herbstreit’s “Following” list on X also suggests that any visit to the social media platform would deliver a heavy dose of (right-wing) political commentary. Indeed, as of Friday evening, Herbstreit was following Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, FBI director Kash Patel, far-right Congress member Nancy Mace, and the Department of Homeland Security account.
In fact, contrary to Herbstreit saying Friday that he doesn’t know Cruz’s politics, FOIAball’s David Covucci discovered that the ESPN host specifically discussed the Republican Senator on Twitter in 2016 and didn’t appear to be a fan.
kirk i think you know exactly what ted cruz’s deal is https://t.co/6peZJc2OUU pic.twitter.com/CZKeABd0eA
— David Covucci (@DavidCovucci) September 18, 2026
“I’m open to all candidates. Complete open mind,” Herbstreit wrote in 2016 regarding a question about presidential candidates. “Just don’t like the vibe of Cruz. Too much BS.”
Regardless of Herbstreit’s personal views, it is hard to imagine any prominent media figure — let alone one whose show Cruz was just on — actually not knowing who Cruz is. The Texas senator ran for president in 2016, is a constant fixture on cable news shows, and now hosts his own podcast.
Later, in comments to reporters in Oxford, Herbstreit said he deferred to GameDay co-star Nick Saban on matters of the PCSA. That may be true, but Herbstreit went so far into the absurd with his denial around the Cruz interview that he made it clear he is not interested in owning his position on the federal bill and what it would do to “reel in” what Herbstreit called the “chaos” around college football.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is an Editorial Lead at Awful Announcing overseeing digital content and special projects. He lives in Phoenix and has covered sports media for Awful Announcing since 2023.