Kirk Herbstreit Reacts to Honor Son Received With Ohio State Football

ESPN and Amazon football analyst Kirk Herbstreit’s son Zak is following in his dad’s footsteps as a member of the Ohio State football program.

The College GameDay star played quarterback for the Buckeyes from 1989–93. Now, his son plays tight end for the program.

The sophomore in college earned the honor of removing the black stripe from his helmet to reveal the scarlet stripe during this week of practice. In the Ohio State program, this takes place after the player works hard enough to be celebrated for his effort. Urban Meyer brought the tradition to the Buckeyes when he took over the program in 2012, and it continues under Ryan Day.

Kirk responded to his son’s exciting news on Twitter on Wednesday, expressing how proud he is of his son.

“Zak- So proud of you!” Herbstreit wrote. “So proud of your approach, humility, work ethic, desire to prove yourself, and overall positive attitude to your dreams. This was a big day for you. Congratulations!! Just keep battlin and climbin. And ALWAYS keep being a great teammate! Love you!”

Zak is one of the Herbstreit’s four sons. He walked onto the Ohio State team in June ’21. His three brothers all played football growing up, and his brothers Tye and Jake were both walk-ons at Clemson. The youngest Herbstreit brother, Chase, is a class of 2025 quarterback recruit. 

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