Kirk Herbstreit and golden retreivers Edit by Liam McGuire
By Sean Keeley on

College GameDay is still in the midst of significant changes. The additions of Pat McAfee and Nick Saban have given ESPN’s college football show a shot in the arm. And longtime analyst Lee Corso is calling it a career to kick off the 2025 season.

One thing that we know for sure about the foreseeable future of GameDay is that Kirk Herbstreit’s golden retrievers will be there.

Last year, Kirk said goodbye to Ben, his longtime companion who would join him on GameDay and Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football. Waiting in the wings was Peter, who quickly affirmed himself as the new star of the show. Herbstreit also introduced the world to Beau, Peter’s younger brother. Lest you think that’s enough, there’s also Mitch and Theo.

As he is wont to do, Kirk posted a photo of Ben on X on Father’s Day. Not everyone is a fan of Herbstreit’s canine appreciation, and Kirk had to clap back at one critic who wanted to see less dog content on his feed.

That kicked off a series of fresh posts featuring Beau and Peter. Eventually, one person asked if Peter would continue showing up on GameDay this season. Herbstreit’s answer was as succinct as it was expected.

“Absolutely.”

Herbstreit also noted that he plans to bring Beau out and that “Mitch will make a trip or two this year as well.”

So, apologies to those sick of seeing Herbstreit’s golden retrievers running amok before big games. They are here to stay.

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.

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