Kirk Herbstreit
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Kirk Herbstreit” has been an ESPN college football studio analyst since August 1996, joining host Chris Fowler and co-analyst Lee Corso on College GameDay. Herbstreit, who joined ESPN in September 1995 as a college football sideline analyst for ESPN2, is also a game analyst for ESPN’s first-ever three-man college football commentator booth on Thursday nights with Corso (analyst) and Mike Tirico (play-by-play).
Herbstreit’s experience as a former standout Ohio State quarterback lends itself to providing insightful and entertaining analysis. His talents were quickly noticed, as after just two seasons he was nominated for a 1997 Sports Emmy Award as television’s top studio analyst, along with veterans Cris Collinsworth (eventual winner), Howie Long, Terry Bradshaw and Steve Lyons.
Herbstreit is widely respected for his no-nonsense analysis and fresh-out-of-the-game perspective. His weekly “On Campus” segment on GameDay features insightful one-on-one interviews with college football’s impact players such as Virginia Tech’s Michael Vick and Alabama’s Freddie Milons. He is a frequent contributor to ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine. In 1997, he wrote a weekly in-season column – “Inside The Game With Kirk Herbstreit” – for The Sporting News.
Since 1993, Herbstreit also has been host of Herbie and Benz, a daily sports radio show on The Fan SportsRadio 1460 in Columbus, Ohio, the Ohio State University flagship station, and also co-hosts Wall to Wall, a weekend sports wrap up show for WBNS-TV, also in Columbus. In addition, he served as a radio sideline reporter for the Ohio State University Football Radio Network during the 1993 and ‘94 seasons.
Herbstreit is a 1993 Ohio State graduate with a degree in business administration where he was a four-year Buckeye letterman as a quarterback (1989-92). As the starter and team captain during his senior season of 1992, he passed for close to 2,000 yards in an option-oriented offense, guiding OSU to an 8-3-1 mark, second place in the Big Ten, a Florida Citrus Bowl appearance and a No. 18 final AP ranking. For his efforts, he was named team MVP and most motivational player. Known for his quickness and scrambling skills, he had TD runs of 32 yards (Wisconsin) and 72 yards (Minnesota) as a junior. He was Ohio State coach John Cooper’s first signee.
A Centerville, Ohio, native (Dayton suburb), Herbstreit was the Ohio Player of the Year as a senior for Centerville HS (and 10-0 as a junior), as well as a standout baseball player. His father, Jim, a former high school football coach and player at OSU (1958-60), served as an assistant coach (1960-61 — national champs in 1961) under the legendary Woody Hayes and also coached with Bo Schembechler.
Herbstreit and his wife Allison Butler (a former Ohio State cheerleader) have identical twins, Jake and Tye, born June 16, 2000.
