Kirk Herbstreit has spent so long being part of college football’s weekly rhythm that it is hard to picture a Saturday without him. For 30 years, he has gone from a former Ohio State QB trying to prove he belonged on television to one of the most recognizable voices in the sport. But his workload has changed dramatically in recent years.
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He now moves between college football on Saturdays and the NFL on Thursday nights, often with barely enough time to switch gears. And for the first time in his career, Herbstreit does not know exactly what comes next.
“I don’t know, just depends,” Herbstreit said about his retirement on Bussin’ with The Boys’ August 25 podcast. “I love what I’m doing. I love doing the NFL on Thursday. I love working with Al, who’s a legend, obviously. The Saturday stuff is unreal. It’s hard to do all three, man. I don’t know. I have one year left on all three jobs this fall. I’ve never been a free agent.
“30 years of doing this. I’ve always just kind of re-upped when I had about a year left. I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m going to do. We’ll see. But I’m not close to being done yet.”
Herbstreit’s current schedule is unusual even by sports broadcasting standards. He remains a major part of ESPN’s college football coverage, working College GameDay and calling ABC’s biggest Saturday games alongside Chris Fowler. ESPN confirmed in August that Fowler, Herbstreit and Holly Rowe would return as its lead Saturday team for the 2026 season.
The ESPN broadcaster is entering his 30th season with College GameDay, which is also heading into its 40th season and 500th road show. He has been part of the program since 1996, so there aren’t many people left who can speak about the show from that far back. His Thursdays are busy too. Since 2022, he has called Amazon’s Thursday Night Football with Al Michaels. Michaels is back for the 2026 season, so that partnership is still going.
The schedule leaves very little room in between. Thursday is NFL night, and Saturday is college football. Once the Thursday game is over, Herbstreit has to switch gears almost immediately and get ready for another college matchup. Then GameDay adds another layer to the weekend. It is basically two football seasons running through the same week.
In his interviews, Herbstreit has often described his weekly schedule in detail. Of course, the travel part of it sounds like a tough ordeal. But even beyond that, he has no time to switch off during the week. After Saturday’s game, Herbstreit has to jump to NFL prep on Sunday, which goes on till Wednesday. That is followed by a travel to the host city for Thursday Night Football.
After calling the NFL game, it’s not like he gets to go home. Herbstreit often ends up traveling to his next destination for College GameDay immediately after the game. The prep for that show takes an entire day.
As per ESPN, he worked 38 games and 20 GameDay shows in 38 cities during the 2025-26 football season. Despite that, Herbstreit still plans to give his all to all three segments.
“I was just a I was a solid player,” Herbstreit said. “So, for me to be on the GameDay set, I was like, ‘Holy s– t, I’m doing GameDay.’ So, I’ve always just had a built-in chip on my shoulder. I’m going to be the most prepared guy on the air of any show that I ever do.”
Because of that dedication and more than 30 years of service to football broadcasting, Herbstreit now makes around $18 million per year through all three contracts. But now, the contracts run through the 2026 season, and the former Ohio State QB might have to shed some responsibilities after an enduring career. Of course, his legacy will live on even if he decides to leave a role.