Kirk Herbstreit doesn’t have a shoe deal.
But if he ever gets one, it seems like a safe bet he won’t be wearing three stripes.
Earlier this month, ESPN’s lead college football analyst made headlines when he curiously expressed his disdain for Adidas’ college football uniforms. Two weeks later, Herbstreit’s opinion remains the same, as he doubled down on his apparel opinions during Thursday’s episode of The Pat McAfee Show.
“Bro, I got nothing against Adidas,” the former Ohio State quarterback insisted. “When I was younger, I was incredibly loyal and just an all-about Nike guy thanks to growing up in the Michael Jordan era. But I’m not as passionate about it, but I know what I see. I know when I look at a uniform, if a uniform is tight, if it looks good.”
After guest host A.J. Hawk interjected by noting that college football players at lower tier programs are often in awe off how tight the apparel is at more traditional powerhouses, Herbstreit took the opportunity to make an analogy.
“Remember when you played [youth football], and there were a couple of guys on the team, like in fifth grade, their pants — they just were not working, they were almost down to their calves, just too big and baggy. That’s what the Adidas uniform looks like to me,” he continued, drawing a laugh from McAfee’s crew. “It looks like the little league uniforms where the kids just don’t quite fit into their uniforms. And again, it’s nothing against Adidas; I don’t know anybody from Adidas. I have no loyalty to anybody. I’m just going by what I see. And what I see is just not a good uniform.”
“We get it,” Hawk replied.
Herbstreit’s latest comments come two weeks after he first took issue with the German apparel brand while discussing the Oct. 11 matchup between Oregon and Indiana. Noting the Hoosiers’ status as an Adidas program, the 56-year-old made it clear that he felt like Indiana was facing an uphill battle against the Nike-backed Ducks, at least as far as the schools’ fashion was concerned.
“The one guy who has a real dilemma on his hands this weekend is none other than Pat McAfee, because he’s got his home squad in their Adidas really bad uniforms,” Herbstreit said. “While I’m at it, the Miami uniforms are hideous as well. It’s hideous. Miami’s uniforms are a disgrace. Indiana’s are trash, their uniforms are terrible.
“The dilemma is that Pat’s got his home team, those Hoosiers, against (Oregon coach) Dan Lanning, you got a real, real, real problem on your hands. It’s awful. Awful.”
According to Herbstreit, there’s no ulterior motive here — he’s simply not a fan of Adidas uniforms. In any event, wearing three stripes didn’t stop Indiana from beating Oregon 30-20, nor has doing so prevented fellow Adidas programs Texas A&M (No. 3), Georgia Tech (No. 7), Miami (No. 9), Texas Tech (No. 14), South Florida (No. 18), Louisville (No. 19), and Arizona State (No. 24) from joining the No. 2 Hoosiers in the current AP Top 25.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.