College Football has a special, very novel standing in the sports realm. It doesn’t boast of the best players in football, that’s the NFL. It also doesn’t boast of the biggest 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. A tight-knit semblance of family is what fans of CFB obsess over. Kirk Herbstreit shared a moment that is a proponent of exactly that.

Whatever your opinion of him, Kirk Herbstreit is etched in the fabric of CFB. As an Ohio State alum who’s been directly involved in the sport for 5 decades now, the reciprocal is also true. Now, he’s got to keep his neutral hat on when he’s calling the National Championship between Ohio State and Notre Dame on the broadcast. However, his persuasions lie in the scarlet and gray corner. Not just because he used to play there, but because his son Zak Herbstreit currently does. Kirk leveraged a cherished memory from when this member of the Buckeyes roster was 12.

Kirk reminisced about a near-identical juncture one decade ago. Ohio State is playing Oregon in the Championship game in 2014. Zak, now involved from within, was cheering on his dad’s alma mater from the stands. Not only his alma mater but in-state school, too. During his presser ahead of the Natty, Centerville, OH native Kirk Herbstreit said, “[Zak] sent me a video…He was in the stands with his brothers in Dallas when Ohio State played Oregon…He had it focused on the clock. ‘10, 9, 8, 7’ [Zak counted down]. Confetti comes down. He’s like, ‘We just won the National Championship!’. Then he turned it to himself and his brothers and they’re all going crazy.” The vivid imagery is bound to have Buckeyes fans salivating at the prospect of history repeating itself.

“Just to kind of have those memories, and then to have him here, full circle, on a team that’s playing in the National Championship. We’re thrilled [as a family],” proceeded Kirk Herbstreit. The impact of these memories is not lost on him. Kirk mentioned how he’s insisting Zak record his experiences 10 years on in a similar fashion. “I’m telling him, you know, take videos of everything. You’re going to be 40 years old one day, and want to remember every aspect of this,” he said. It’s almost as if Kirk is living his dream vicariously through his son. A Herbstreit may have their fingerprints on an OSU championship trophy, after all.

Tight end Zak Herbstreit may not be a key component of Ryan Day’s team. But it’s players such as him, who’ve got intrinsic connections to the school, that make a CFB program great. He’s the kind of player that resonates with the fans, especially because of the adversity he’s been through. Back in 2023, Zak was diagnosed with a heart issue that essentially rendered his collegiate career over. To win the Natty will mean he can make memories with his comrades that he wasn’t able to on the gridiron. Maybe he’ll be able to dissipate some of the heat off his father’s back, too.

The Herbstreit clan’s affinity with Ohio State was put in jeopardy this year

Despite being an alumni, Kirk Herbstreit’s rapport with the Buckeyes faithful is strained, to put it mildly. The relationship got particularly fractured this season when he referred to a faction of fans as the “lunatic fringe.” This was in the wake of calls for Ryan Day to lose his job after the Michigan loss. Naturally, the fanbase didn’t take well to this commentary. Then, another factor burned more bridges for Herbstreit back into Columbus.

Zak’s younger brother Chase Herbstreit went ahead and joined the arch-nemesis in maize and blue. Kirk has stated he supports the QBs decision to go to Michigan, which is fair. Albeit, OSU fans expectantly think this is borderline blasphemous. See, Kirk’s father, Jim, went to Ohio State too. 3 generations of Herbstreits came to Columbus, so Chase heading to Ann Arbor was always going to be problematic.

Alas, Kirk has stated he and the family will always continue supporting the Buckeyes. “We’re fired up. I mean, anytime Ohio State makes a run, it’s a thrill for us, for my family” said Herbstreit about OSU’s imminent Natty date. Football fandom is sacrilegious. Although his sons are divided across enemy territory, there is no doubting Kirk Herbstreit’s loyalties. He’ll be tasked with keeping them away from the microphone when he steps into the booth. As for Zak, let’s hope he’s onboarded his dad’s advice and is cherishing the build up.