Kirk Herbstreit has spent three decades as a top broadcaster and across a career littered with acoolades and honors, it may be tough to imagine a time when he wasn't a fixture in college footbal television. But Herbstreit's path from player to personality demonstrates the same tenacity and work ethic that made him a starting Ohio State quarterback-- but with a bigger payoff.
Herbstreit Breaks In
Herbstreit played quarterback at Ohio State from 1988 to 1992. He played only occasionally for three seasons, started two games in his fourth season, and then was Ohio State's starting quarterback on an 8-3-1 team as a senior in 1992. But after his senior season, Herbstreit soon found his true calling.
College GameDay with Corso
He began working as a sideline analyst for ESPN's college footbal broadcasts in 1995, but the following season, made the jump that would become definitive as a part of the network's College GameDay pregame show. GameDay existed as far back as 1987 and had even begun its now-familiar pattern of broadcasting live from a big game spot in 1993. But under Herbstreit and former coach Lee Corso, the show became a breath of fresh air in a world previously occupied by stale preview shows.
Corso was the wacky say-anything guy and Herbstreit was the straight arrow who would drag him back on topic and the duo played off each other completely. Corso (who started at CGD in 1987) is the only cast member with a longer run on the show than Herbstreit, although with Corso's 2025 retirement, Herbstreit is set to pass his former foil in the mid 2030s.
Analylst Stardom
Meanwhile, Herbstreit's in-game skills as an analysts also blossomed, and he has starred for ESPN and ABC in providing depth and detail to broadcasts of the biggest college football games in the nation. He obtained the lead analyst slot in 2006. Herbstreit has even added NFL Draft and NFL broadcast coverage to his other duties, not to mention his role in the popular College Football video game series from EA Sports.
Awards and Honors for Herbstreit
Long recognized as one of the top broadcasters in the nation, Herbstreit can claim five Sports Emmy awards-- three for his work as outstanding studio analyst (awarded in 2010, 2011, and 2019) and two more for his work as outstanding event analyst (2018 and 2020). With his record also approaching broadcasting 20 Rose Bowl games, Herbstreit was also honored in 2023 with membership in the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame.
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