As Dan Katz (Barstool Big Cat) pointed out, Kirk Herbstreit’s son, Chase, committing to the University of Michigan — his father’s alma mater’s fiercest rival — stirred up some serious waves.
And rightfully so.
For the first time publicly, Kirk addressed his son’s decision to commit to the University of Michigan, joining $10 million man Bryce Underwood in the Wolverines’ 2025 recruiting class as the other quarterback in the class. The College GameDay star acknowledged that he’s stayed out of that world but entered the foray during a recent Barstool Sports’ Pardon My Take appearance.
“I haven’t seen a whole lot of reaction intentionally, just because I know 80 percent of the people are thrilled, 20 percent are going to be jackasses,” Kirk said.” So I just decided — it’s one thing to take shots at me, but if you take a shot at my kid and you want to get in a fight, it’s not hard for me to want to do that. So, I just try to ignore that stuff the best that I can and just kind of stay focused on the positive.”
It’s no secret that Herbstreit hasn’t always been able to brush off the shots taken at him, but when it comes to his kids, he’s steadfast in sticking to his guns.
And Kirk stuck to his guns here, fully supporting Chase’s decision to commit to Michigan — a move driven by the fact that it was his only scholarship offer.
And the fact that Ohio State didn’t exactly make a strong push.
“What an opportunity for him,” Kirk said of his youngest son. “You know that this is a kid that grew up a lifelong Ohio State fan. Of all my kids like he’s the guy that cried when they lose games like he’s an Ohio State junkie. Ohio State did not really pursue him to the point of offering him a scholarship.”
Kirk explained that Ohio State, like many other programs, is caught in a bind due to new NCAA regulations. At least, that’s the message the Buckeyes passed along to Chase when they recruited him. With fewer roster spots available and the traditional walk-on model fading away, high school players like Chase, who are on the bubble, find themselves in a “wait-and-see” situation.
The NCAA’s recent settlement agreement has exacerbated this issue, eliminating the walk-on concept entirely and forcing programs to make tough decisions about who to offer scholarships to. As a result, many top programs, including Ohio State, Michigan and Notre Dame (all involved in Chase’s recruitment), have shifted their focus to experienced players and the transfer portal, leaving less room for young, developing talent.
Essentially, these schools told Chase he’d be better off going to the Mid-American Conference.
But Michigan decided it ultimately wanted to take a chance on the youngest of four Herbstreit boys.
“Sherrone Moore and his staff believe, and I think they saw his competitive spirit and his fire and what he did on the field this year to give him an opportunity,” Kirk said. “It’s very different for our family because behind the scenes it’s scarlet and grey our entire lives.
“It is quite a thrill. Obviously, we’re beyond excited for him. I went to Senior Day for my other son, who had a heart situation; he was part of the senior class of the Ohio State players. It was a family-only event this past Sunday and I went in there really nervous wondering how the Ohio State coaches [would react], because none of them texted me ‘Hey, congratulations on Chase.’ I didn’t hear anything from anybody. So I was a little bit should I go? Should I not go? And I went because I needed to be there for my other son.”
Herbstreit said it was a very heartfelt day, and while he talked to Chip Kelly and Ryan Day afterward, nobody said anything.
“It was kind of like business mode, and that’s good by me,” said Kirk.
But is it good by Ohio State fans?
Well…
[Pardon My Take]
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.