Kirk Herbstreit, a lifelong Buckeyes fan, not even in his wildest dreams would have imagined cheering for the Michigan Wolverines. But something changed during the last December. Herbstreit, who lives and breathes OSU, was seen donning a maize and blue jacket instead of scarlet and gray. While many wondered if the former Buckeyes’ quarterback switched sides, he was just supporting his son, Chase Herbstreit’s commitment to the Wolves.

When asked what made his son choose the Wolves, the ESPN commentator simply said that there were no programs offering a 100 percent scholarship to Chase, except Michigan. So, the Michigan decision was no brainer for the Herbstreit family despite their long allegiance to OSU. “Ohio State did not really pursue him to the point of offering a scholarship,” Herbstreit explained why Chase did not end up in Ohio, but in Ann Arbor. While Herbstreit was still criticized left and right over his son’s career decision, a recent insight from the Buckeyes legend explains their unknown respect for the Wolves.

For Kirk, college football has been more of a family tradition, and he has never hidden his love for the college game — “I’ve always loved the NFL, but college is just different. It runs through my veins” — opened up on the ‘Try That in a Small Town’ podcast, offering some long-overdue insight into how his youngest son ended up in maize and blue. “My wife cheered at Ohio State. My dad [Jim Herbstreit] was a captain. He coached after he played with Woody Hayes, coached with Bo Schembechler as well,” Kirk said. That deep lineage is what makes his next admission all the more telling. “My dad taught me in a very different way than most of your Ohio State fans today. My dad taught me to respect Michigan.”

That respect, Kirk explained, was born from the same era that shaped his father, lessons he kept close to his heart ever since. “Like the one day you play them, it’s all hands on deck. Destroy them! But if they played Notre Dame in a non-conference game or they played USC in a Rose Bowl, my house, we respected Michigan… you were okay with them winning.” That nuance, long erased by modern-day message board tribalism, shaped how Kirk has raised his own family, with appreciation for the history, even if it’s a rival’s.

“In the 70s and 80s, when Bo and Woody, who were best friends, were competing against each other, it was a kill-you-that-day mentality, but it was respect… Today, in my opinion, they [dont] understand the rivalry, the history of the rivalry. It’s more just hate. It’s hate, hate, hate,” he reflected. So, following in his footsteps, his kids grew up loving Ohio State, but with eyes open to the bigger picture of the game.

That’s not to say the family hasn’t kept roots in Columbus. Zak Herbstreit, Chase’s older brother, played high school football at Montgomery Bell Academy in Tennessee before walking on as the Ohio State Buckeyes as a tight end. He was part of the 2024 national championship team, a program-defining moment that brought pride to the entire family, Kirk Herbstreit included. The idea that one Herbstreit son now represents Michigan while another has won a title with Ohio State? It’s a modern twist on a rivalry that used to hinge on mutual disdain, now perhaps leaning toward mutual growth.

Despite his lifelong allegiance to OUS, the youngest Herbstreit heads north, ready to carve his name in college football’s fiercest rivalry. Because sometimes legacy doesn’t mean staying put. Sometimes it means daring to cross the line no one thought you’d ever cross.