After a painful end to their 2023 campaign, the Buckeyes finally ended their decade-long title drought and finally won the national championship this year. And who better than Kirk Herbstreit to know what this victory meant for the entire OSU fandom? “I love all of these Ohio State teams, but this team because of what they went through to get to this point, you are just happy,” the former Buckeyes QB said while wiping his eyes. But this win carried a deeper significance for Herbstreit—a lifetime Ohio loyalist. While he was cheering for OSU throughout the year, balancing his commentary duties at ESPN, behind the scenes, he was silently battling challenges that few knew about.

We see the ESPN icon, the voice of college football, seemingly living the dream. But the truth is, Kirk’s been fighting battles way tougher than college football rivalries. “I needed to look in the mirror for myself and I needed to be a dad and it was challenging for me.” Yeah, his challenges were away from the game. “It’s been a tough year for me behind the scenes,” Herbstreit admitted. The legendary commentator dropped some of his deepest wounds on the Pure Athlete podcast, leaving everyone feeling like they just took a helmet-to-helmet hit.

So, here’s the thing—when you ask a father what it’s like raising four boys, you’re expecting him to toss around stories about backyard football or late-night homework grinds. But Kirk? He went straight for the heart. “My identical twins were born at two pounds each. They were born at 28 weeks. That was my introduction to being a dad,” he admitted, sounding emotional. “And I could take my ring—I always say to people to give them an understanding—I take the ring off my finger, go down their foot, all the way up to their hipbone because their legs were like the size of your finger. And their skin was transparent.” Just like that, the ESPN icon painted a picture of fear most dads can’t even imagine.

His twins, Jake and Tye Herbstreit, were stuck in the NICU for eight grueling weeks, fighting for every breath. That kind of experience that doesn’t leave you. It digs into your bones, makes you a little paranoid, a little overprotective. He even recalled, “Just so concerned about them because of the images that we dealt with and we realized my wife had a—it’s called incompetent cervix.” Kirk’s journey into fatherhood was just beginning because being a father also means supporting your pregnant wife. Turns out, his wife, Alison, had an incompetent cervix.

Basically, it is a condition where weak cervical tissue causes the cervix to shorten or open prematurely during pregnancy, leading to preterm birth or miscarriage. This condition affects about 1-2% of pregnancies, according to the American Pregnancy Association. After that nightmare with Jake and Tye, they found out what was going on and had to get a cerclage to keep the door shut for future pregnancies. But the struggles didn’t end there.

Fast forward a couple of decades, and Kirk’s got another son, Zak Herbstreit, who just got his whole world flipped upside down. In June 2023, Zak’s health took a nose-dive. Doctors first thought he had pneumonia because of fluid in his lungs. But after some tests, they hit Kirk with the bad news: Zak had a heart condition. After five days in the hospital, his football dreams were left hanging by a thread. Ever since, Kirk Herbstreit’s been preaching about the importance of getting echocardiograms for athletes ever since. And for good reason. Zak had to walk away from the game he loved in January 2025, retiring from football for good because of heart failure.

And if that wasn’t enough, his youngest, Chase Herbstreit, pulled a fast one on the family legacy. The kid was a standout quarterback at St. Xavier High, right? But instead of following the family’s scarlet and gray path, Chase committed to Michigan in December 2024. That’s like a die-hard Yankees fan putting on a Red Sox jersey. Gutsy move, but hey, it’s his journey to make. Chase is going to play for Sherrone Moore’s Michigan in the 2025 season. Meanwhile, his twin sons, Jake and Tye, were athletes at Montgomery Bell Academy. Tye played football as a walk-on at Clemson University; Jake walked on at Clemson before transferring to Ohio State to focus on academics.

Kirk Herbstreit’s wife’s cancer struggles

Now, you’d think that’d be enough pain for one family, but life wasn’t done throwing haymakers. In 2024, Kirk’s wife, Alison—“Ally” to her loved ones—got hit with a breast cancer diagnosis. And yeah, that one cut deep. The news came out of nowhere, right when they were already trying to keep their heads above water.

Ally’s been fighting with everything she’s got, leaning on her family and friends like a true warrior. And Kirk? Man, he’s been right there in her corner, even when the weight of it all nearly broke him down. During Ohio State’s natty victory over the Irish, Kirk got caught on camera looking like a man barely holding it together. Later, on The Pat McAfee Show, he admitted the tough year he had. “My wife got diagnosed with breast cancer, you know, (our family dog) Ben dies. It was just a lot of emotion,” the ESPN commentator said.

Kirk’s found himself counting his blessings, especially when it comes to the support from Ohio State’s head coach, Ryan Day. The Buckeyes HC had been there for Zak, keeping him involved with the team even after his medical retirement. And for Kirk, that kind of loyalty means everything. “He had to medically retire, and I think the gratitude I have for [coach] Ryan Day putting his arms around Zak and keeping him involved.”

The Herbstreits’ story ain’t one of just pain and loss. It’s about pure grit, hardcore loyalty, and love fighting back against all the darkness life can throw at you. Kirk Herbstreit’s been knocked down time and again, but he keeps getting back up, ready to swing right back. And that kind of strength? That’s what makes his story one worth telling.