Much has been said about ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit and his relationship with Ohio State Buckeyes fans.
That includes recent comments by Herbstreit himself, who has called out a section of the fanbase he refers to as the “lunatic fringe” while seemingly taking jabs at Buckeyes faithful over the way Tennessee fans took over The Horseshoe in their College Football Playoff game. The fact that one of his sons recently committed to play for hated Michigan was icing on that cake.
However, the former OSU quarterback wants it to be known that at the end of the day, he’s no different from any other Ohio State fan hoping to see them win.
“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, 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.”
On paper, that’s an odd thing for a broadcaster to admit in the days leading up to him calling the national championship game between the Buckeyes and Notre Dame, especially in the wake of all the “conflict of interest” drama surrounding Fox’s Tom Brady. However, college football is its own animal and Herbstreit is a special case even within that.
Bringing your school loyalties with you to your work as a CFB analyst or broadcaster is accepted and often encouraged. As a former player, Herbstreit has long been associated with Ohio State and has been known to defend them on the set of College GameDay, especially from the barbs of Michigan Wolverines’ alum Desmond Howard.
Herbstreit has also found himself in the middle of an ongoing conversation about where he stands, not just about Ohio State fans but about college football in general. It’s a self-created drama cycle that he begins with hot takes and bold comments before scoffing at the attention he receives and attempting to downplay his status or voice. Even his claim that his son runs his social media accounts, which often get him in the most trouble, only leads to further confusion.
The ESPN and Prime Video broadcaster seems more than willing to power through the perceptions. Saturday, he shared that while he does his best to remain neutral when calling Buckeyes games, there are times when the fan in him can’t help but come out. OSU defensive end Jack Sawyer’s 83-yard scoop-and-score against Texas in the CFP semifinals was one of those moments where the fan won out.
The 4th-and-goal Texas disaster that results in a Jack Sawyer strip-sack and scoop-and-score for Ohio State.
The sideline cams show Steve Sarkisian’s soul being crushed in real time on the Pat McAfee broadcast. #CFP pic.twitter.com/VipP5Ska1s
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 11, 2025
“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. “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 has admitted that he is friends with Ohio State head coach Ryan Day, which likely informs some of his previous comments about OSU fans. He thinks that a national title win on Monday night will change the conversation around Day.
“If that confetti comes down Monday night, he gets the last laugh,” he said. “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.”
