Kirk Herbstreit Reveals Why His Son Committed To Michigan Over Ohio State

12/18/2024 03:58 PM

Kirk Herbstreit's youngest son, Chase Herbstreit, committed to Michigan earlier this month.

Chase Herbstreit, a class of 2025 prospect, announced his commitment to Michigan on Sunday, Dec. 8. The three-star quarterback recruit, who played at St. Xavier in Cincinnati, totaled 26 touchdowns in his final high school season. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound prospect led his high school to the regional final. Unsurprisingly, the Herbstreit family - both Kirk and his dad played (and also coached) at Ohio State - took some heat on social media for the commitment. 

On Wednesday, Herbstreit appeared on Barstool Sports' "Pardon My Take" podcast. He discussed his son's decision to commit to Michigan and the blowback his family has received.

"I haven't seen a whole lot of reaction intentionally," Herbstreit said of the blowback to his son committing to Michigan.

"I know that 80 percent of people are thrilled and 20 percent are jackasses. I just decided - it's one thing to take shots at me, but if you take a shot at me, and you want to get into a fight, it's not hard for me to do that. So I just try to ignore that stuff the best I can and stay focused on the positive."

Herbstreit admitted that Chase was the biggest Ohio State die-hard of his four children. The ESPN college football analyst said that Chase would be the one crying after tough Ohio State losses. However, the Buckeyes didn't offer him a scholarship.

"Ohio State didn't really pursue him to the point of offering him a scholarship. They were close," Herbstreit admitted. 

Herbstreit said that his son had interest in Ohio State, Michigan and Notre Dame. However, it was the Wolverines who offered Herbstreit a scholarship and the opportunity to come in right away.

Herbstreit said that most recruits in his son's position would end up at a school in a conference like the MAC. So, it was a no-brainer for him to take Michigan, the defending national champions, up on the program's offer. 

"It's very different for our family," Herbstreit admitted. 

The ESPN college football announcer added that he recently attended a Senior Day ceremony for another one of his sons, Zak, who is a tight end at Ohio State. Zak suffered a heart issue and hasn't been able to play. Herbstreit admitted he was nervous to attend the event, because he hadn't heard from Ohio State's coaches since Chase committed to Michigan.

"I talked to Chip Kelly afterwards, I talked to Ryan Day afterwards...nobody said anything (about my son's commitment)," he said.

"It was just business mode. That's good by me."

Certainly, it's going to be interesting if Chase Herbstreit ends up playing at Michigan. The Buckeyes, meanwhile, will take on No. 9 Tennessee in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Saturday night.