College football has a special, novel place in the wider sports realm. It doesn’t boast of the best players in football. That’s the NFL. It also doesn’t boast the biggest global audience; that’s the NBA. What it does boast, though, is a suspension of all of the pageantry and superficial aspects in exchange for a sense of community. That said, most of the same rules still apply. 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 development regarding the Herbstreit clan attacked this very core value of sports fandom and fractured a relationship built over three generations and seven decades. 

Whatever your opinion of him, Kirk Herbstreit is etched in the fabric of the sport. The former Ohio State Buckeye and GameDay host has been directly involved in CFB since the ‘80s. The game has given Herbstreit a lot, and he has reciprocated it by being a great ambassador for it. Or at least until very recently. See, while he’s got to keep his neutral hat on when he’s calling games, the blood coursing through his veins is scarlet.  Kirk’s father, Jim Herbstreit, captained the Buckeyes in 1960.  Kirk himself had this privilege as a player in 1982. His son, Zak Herbstreit, was on the roster and had just won the National Championship. So much tradition, now blemished. 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, nor does the animosity between the two fanbases. Naturally, Kirk Herbstreit has 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. With the dust somewhat settling over this travesty, if it ever could, Kirk Herbstreit has finally addressed the elephant in the room. How and why did this move for Chase come about? Herbstreit guested on the “Built 4 More” podcast, co-hosted by QB coach Denny Thompson. Who also trains Chase individually. Thompson confronted him on the events that led to the Michigan move, and Herdstreit spilled the beans.

“Chase was a guy going into his senior year,” began Kirk Herbstreit. “This past summer, we went around [and] visited some schools. He had some initial interest, but it was really more of a, ‘Hey, maybe go with the PWO.’”  That stands for preferred walk-on, meaning Chase didn’t have any stable, concrete offers. Kirk mentioned North Carolina, North Carolina State, Penn State, Michigan and Notre Dame offering Chase a PWO scholarship initially. “He was really this guy on the fringe,” continued Herbstreit. He then proceeded to disclose how a watershed moment came when he was working with College GameDay at the SEC Championship in Atlanta.

“We were at Mercedes-Benz stadium to do our Friday night meetings with Kirby [Smart] and [Steve] Sarkisian, and it was the week of national letter of intent. I wasn’t even thinking of it… Well, I’m sitting down with Kirby. My text keeps going off,” recalled Herbstreit. He stated that Chase was actually with him at this point in time, since his football season had concluded. Also in proximity was Nick Saban, who becomes an anecdotal reference himself as the rest of the story unfolds. “[The meeting with] Kirby gets done. But we had about 15 minutes until Sark came in,” said Herbstreit. It was this 15-minute window that altered the trajectory of the family and their generational ties with Ohio State.

Kirk Herbstreit was left wide-eyed when he realized what just went down

“This is Friday, about six o’clock, seven o’clock. I’m looking at my phone, and it’s the Michigan GM, director of player personnel, or whatever. He says, ‘Can you give me a call?’ So I call him real quick. No idea what’s up. He’s like, ‘Hey, are you with Chase? I need to talk to him. We’d like to send him his [scholarship] paperwork, and the window closes at midnight. Do you know how I can get a hold of him?’ I said, ‘He’s right here. Hold on. I’ll have him give you a call.” proceeded Kirk Herbstreit. The storytelling proficiency was on full display during the pod. No wonder he’s been as successful in the media! Herbstreit then relayed his, and Nick Saban’s, exact reaction when Chase told him he was going to sign the paperwork.

“Now Sark’s in the room. We talk for 30 minutes with Sark. [He] gets done, and then Chase [says], ‘I just signed my paperwork… I’m going to Michigan.’ I was like, ‘Holy… What? What!’” remarked Herbstreit as he gave a startled reaction on the podcast. He sure asked Chase to take the phone call, but probably didn’t expect him to actually transcend enemy lines and go ahead with signing the dotted line. “It was surreal,” continued Herbstreit. “Coach Saban was there, and I said, ‘Coach, Chase just signed with Michigan. He goes, ‘What!? He’s going to Michigan? He walks over to Chase real slow… puts his hand out, and says, ‘Congratulations, boy,’ and gives him a hug.” Kirk Herbstreit then summed his story up with how they went to a nice steak dinner later that night. “I was all moving so fast!” he added.

Being able to keep sentiments and pride aside when it came to what was best for his son is a testament to Kirk Herbstreit’s character. However, what occurred is still a travesty and cannot be 100% absolved in the name of the family. The Herbstreit clan will just have to live with the lamentation from Buckeyes fans. Kirk sure will hope Chase can at least make the sacrifice worth it.