Kirk Herbstreit is ticking off one milestone on life after another. Football often tends to run in families, and it sure does in the Herbstreit family as well. However, his youngest seems to have made a rebellious decision, which would be a major upset for any OSU fan and player. With Herbstreit himself being an OSU player and remaining a loyal Buckeye to this day, you would expect Chase to make a splash in his father’s alma mater. Instead, Chase’s CFB home will be OSU’s arch nemesis.

Recently, Kirk Herbstreit announced that he and his wife will be moving back to Nashville in June. They were renting a place in Cincinnati, where Chase was completing his prep career at St. Xavier’s. Chase is now officially a high school graduate, and the plans are set for the Herbstreit to go back to where they always wanted to. Their youngest will soon be out of the nest, now that he has completed his schooling.

The ESPN presenter shared a video of Chase’s graduation event at St. Xavier’s as a member of the class of 2025. Herbstreit wrote, “So thankful for the teachers-staff-and coaches that fed into this group daily during these formative years. Chase had a great experience and created friendships that will last a lifetime.” With a diploma in hand, Chase is now keen to begin his CFB career. Sadly, he won’t be tapping into the Herbstreit family legacy.

Herbstreit and his dad, Jim, were the second father-son duo in Ohio State history to be named team captains. Chase would probably not be able to repeat that history, at least not at OSU. Julian Sayin looks good to go for at least one more year, and the depth chart looks pretty detailed. Chase, surprisingly, is going to Ann Arbor, which turns out to be the only big-name program ready to have him on campus. Despite being OSU’s age-old rivals, he has a unique opportunity in Michigan to carve out his path and kick-start his college football journey.

Kirk Herbstreit’s youngest new chance at more playing time

Chase didn’t have many top schools making him offers. So, he saw an opportunity in Michigan and rolled with it. His St. Xavier’s QB coach, Brad Maendler, told On3, “[Chase] has great instincts and a great football IQ. He’s uber-competitive… one of the most driven kids I’ve met in the 18 years doing quarterback training. The intangibles are off the charts.” He will join a QB room where the odds have opened up for him. There are many talented quarterbacks in the room at this moment, the star among them being Bryce Underwood.

But Underwood was facing fierce competition from Fresno State transfer, Mikey Keene. However, he is still dealing with an injury recovery, and so is Davis Warren. However, with Keene and Warren temporarily a little out of the picture, it seems Chase can climb up the depth chart sooner than expected. Bryce Underwood and Jadyn Davis are the only two fit and ready-like QBs available at the moment. Can Chase hope to look at seeing more playing time?

Maendler further added, “He really has great vision and has that anticipation that you want. I’m really pleased where things are headed there,” he also added. “He’s lost that boyish look. He looks like a man now. His body is responding,” the QB coach said. Now, a young man ready to play under quite the spotlight, will Kirk Herbstreit’s legacy translate at Ann Arbor through Chase?