Like father, like son. As cliché as that sounds, it transpired into a resounding truth for the Herbstreit clan. Whatever your opinion of him, Kirk Herbstreit is etched into the very fabric of college football. The former Ohio State Buckeye and GameDay host has been directly involved in the sport since the ‘80s. The game has given Herbstreit a lot, and he has reciprocated it by being a great ambassador for it. His love for the sport and cogent analysis is no fluke if you’re aware of his lineage. 

Kirk’s dad, the late Jim Herbtreit, also donned the iconic scarlet and gray. He was a bit of a powerhouse, too, having played running back, defensive back, and special teams for the Buckeyes. It’s almost as if there was an osmosis-like permeation of footballing acumen between the pair. Jim Herbstreit captained the Buckeyes in 1960. Kirk himself had this privilege as a player in 1982. His son, Zak Herbstreit, was on the OSU roster that just won the National Championship. The Herbstreit clan are Ohio natives as well, with Jim born in Cincinnati and Kirk in Centerville. While he’s got to keep his neutral hat on when he’s calling games, the blood coursing through Kirk Herbstreit’s veins is scarlet. 

Everything in Kirk Herbstreit’s life essentially revolves around the game. Naturally, he’s indebted to Jim, and it’s evident in his latest IG post. On account of Jim Herbtreit’s 86th birthday, Kirk posted a picture of his old man in full Buckeyes gear. Stood in the middle of the gridiron at The Shoe. He accompanied the post with “Happy Birthday, Dad. We miss you. 🙏🏼” Almost never a man of few words, Kirk’s subtle gesture says a lot. Jim passed away in 2016 after a hard-fought battle with Alzheimer’s.

Jim Herbstreit came down with the condition in 2014, but his passing was “sudden” according to Kirk. “It’s a tough day for my family and I,” he said at the time. 9 years can be a long time for the feelings of despair to subdue. But the emotional void Jim has left behind remains vacated, and will perpetually. Kirk Herbstreit is a famously emotional man, as evidenced by his affinity to his dogs. The 6 words he posted to IG were probably all a gush of sentiments he allowed himself to conjure.

Speaking of sentiments, Kirk Herbstreit got on the nerves of Ohio State fans recently after an egregious development. Sports fandom is sacrilegious. Once you don the colors of a team, you’re essentially locked in for life. Switching teams is invariably considered taboo. Let alone switching allegiances for the sworn enemy. A revelation regarding the Herbstreit clan has attacked this very core value of sports fandom. It has fractured a relationship built over three generations from Jim down to Zak, spanning across seven decades.

Kirk Herbstreit’s relationship with Ohio State now strained over two separate facets

Chase Herbstreit, Kirk’s younger son, has chosen to traverse his career through Ann Arbor wearing Michigan maize and blue. Calling this a cardinal sin wouldn’t be hyperbolic. The Ohio State-Michigan rivalry needs no introduction, and nor does the animosity between the two fanbases. Naturally, Kirk Herbstreit caught a ton of flak from the Buckeyes faithful for allowing this to transpire. He knew the repercussions but still went through with it. It’s almost equally commendable as it is outlandish. In the wake of intense scrutiny, Kirk Herbstreit set the record straight. He’s not shying away from the fact he’s now in bed with the mortal enemy. He’s doubling down instead.

Before his IG took a bittersweet turn with Jim Herbstreit, Kirk reposted a picture of Chase as the latter walks out of the tunnel at the Big House. The caption of the original post is pretty resounding, reading, “Let me be me,”. Sharing the post himself, Kirk wrote “Proud of ya Chase…Time to go to work!!…Go get it!” It’s only right for a father to support his son through his decisions, especially at this juncture of his life. But did Kirk Herbstreit fly too close to the Sun here? The optics of this are particularly bad after his comments about the Ohio State fan base last season.

Herbstreit made a rod for his own back after calling sections of the fanbase a “lunatic fringe”. This was amidst calls for the firing of HC Ryan Day. In hindsight, those calls look awfully bad now that he’s delivered them the national title. However, at the time, this was a prevalent topic of discourse. Herbstreit got lambasted online for his comments. Ironically, this happened in the aftermath of The Game against Michigan. Kirk Herbstreit has a long way to go before he can revere himself to the fans now that this move of Chase has gone down. He still insists his loyalties lie with Ohio State, but it’s a more difficult sell now. Alas, it comes with the territory of being a figurehead in CFB media. A stature that reached on his own accord but one for which the foundations were laid by his father. May he rest in peace.