Fans of Kirk Herbstreit will soon get more of the ESPN and ABC college football analyst’s story. The former Ohio State quarterback is publishing a memoir, set to be released on August 17.
Herbstreit co-wrote the book, titled Out of the Pocket, with his ESPN colleague Gene Wojciechowski. Among his nine books, Wojciechowski has previously co-authored autobiographies with Bill Walton, Jerome Bettis, Reggie Miller, and Rick Majerus.
According to the official announcement for the book from Atria Books (a division of Simon & Schuster), Herbstreit will chronicle his upbringing and struggles dealing with his parents’ divorce, in addition to following his father’s path to Ohio State and his frustrations in playing for a major college football program.
But for sports media and college football fans, Herbstreit also goes behind the scenes in his role with ESPN’s College GameDay, which has made him one of the sport’s leading commentators.
“He’ll take you into the television production meetings, on to the GameDay set, and into the broadcast booth. You’ll live his life during a football season, see the things he sees, experience every chaotic twist and turn as the year unfolds. Not to mention the relationships he’s established and the insights he’s learned from the likes of coaches and players such as Nick Saban, Tim Tebow, Dabo Swinney, and Peyton Manning, as well as his colleagues, including Chris Fowler, Rece Davis, and his ‘second dad,’ the beloved Coach Lee Corso.”
Herbstreit will also write about his experiences as a father and watching his sons play college football for Clemson.
“When COVID-19 hit our country, I had a lot of down time, a lot of time to reflect on my own life,” said Herbstreit in a release for the book.
“I’ve thought about writing a book in the past, but it was always on the back-burner. But now I just felt the timing was right. This is a much broader view than just football. It’s the journey of my life, of its trials and tribulations. I wanted to share that journey with others who have had challenges in their own lives.”
Out of the Pocket: Football, Fatherhood, and College GameDay Saturdays will be released August 17 and can be pre-ordered through online booksellers including Bookshop, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.
