It’s usual to see father-son duos in football. The new generation follows the footsteps left by their fathers, having a direct exposure to the sport since their childhood. We saw the Colorado spectacle of the Sanders clan, which made a considerable number of headlines for the past 2-3 years. However, this arc of life comes with a cost, and some unpleasant name-calling. Kirk Herbstreit and his son are also bearing the brunt of this reality, as the latter joins college football in a new role.

Kirk was also born into the world of college football, with his father opening the gateway to his Ohio State career. Herbstreit’s presence as an analyst is more impactful than his actual playing career. Alongside fan-favourite pets Ben and Peter, Kirk has evolved into being one of the most familiar faces in college football media. Now, however, he will be joined by one more family member. Zak Herbstreit, Kirk’s third son, is following his father into college football media as an analyst as well.

Zak will now be part of On3’s crew as a National College Football analyst, the publication announced on August 4. And, he is getting a huge task right off the bat with the network. Zak will be the host of his show, titled ‘Off Script with Zak Herbstreit. ’ He will be travelling to some high-action games this season, “giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at everything that makes Saturdays the greatest day in sports,” On3’s Founder and CEO, Shannon Terry, said. Dad Kirk is all kinds of proud about his son’s major life accomplishment. “Congratulations on this opportunity, Zak! Can’t wait to see you work hard and grow in this space! Go gettem!!” he wrote on X.

“I’m grateful for the path that led me here, and I’m excited to bring real passion, insight, and a player’s mindset to the content that On3 creates,” Zak said. He comes to the forefront after a long gap. His playing career was cut short because of a heart condition, forcing him to retire from the sport altogether. He spent some time as a student coach with the Buckeyes, but is now bidding that chapter goodbye for good. But now that there are two Herbstreits in CFB media, fans are coming in hot with the nepotism attacks.

Online community attacks Kirk and Zak Herbstreit with nepotism allegations

Terry acknowledged Zak’s CFB background, having “grown up immersed in college sports.” That one factor seems to be enough to raise the nepotism alarms, already downplaying Zak’s entry into journalism. “Neapolitan hire,” wrote one fan, in no mood for beating around the bush with the nepo-baby slander. Being in his father’s shadow all this while, Zak, following Kirk Herbstreit into a domain he has leverage over, isn’t sitting right with some fans. “Does Kirk get a referral bonus?” wrote another skeptic.

“What an amazing gig to get right out of college with no journalism experience. Wonder how that happened,” one user commented. Zak majored in marketing and was part of the Buckeyes coaching staff until recently. But the media exposure has been in the family for quite a while. Zak’s arrival in this space seems natural, but one can’t help but immediately think of Kirk Herbstreit whenever we come across his mention. “His daddy is taking care of him. That’s cute,” wrote one more, joining in the tirade against nepotism,

“On3 needs to [rebrand] to Nepo3,” called out another user, going for the network instead of Zak. Though the father and son will be in different offices, Kirk Herbstreit’s influence surely extends far beyond the limits of ESPN. “Nepo baby? Nepo baby!” read one more comment, unimpressed by Zak’s hiring. The new analyst will have to do some ground-breaking work to break out of his father’s shadow. Maybe with Zak’s new show taking off this season, some of this hateful tide will turn towards him, instead of being against him.