For most of his life, Chase Herbstreit was supposed to be an Ohio State kid. His father, Kirk Herbstreit, played QB for the Buckeyes. His grandfather also played and coached at Ohio State. His mother, Alison, was an Ohio State cheerleader, and Chase grew up knowing the fight song before he was old enough to understand the rivalry.

That made Chase’s eventual decision to play for Michigan strange enough on its own. But there was another piece to the story. Ohio State was interested in Chase, according to Kirk Herbstreit, but by the time the Buckeyes were ready to make a decision, the opportunity was gone. Kirk explained the situation during an August 25 appearance on Bussin’ With The Boys.

“He did until late, and then he did not,” Kirk Herbstreit said if Chase had an opportunity to play at Ohio State. “Chip Kelly was the OC and Ryan Day, and it was just there was not going to be an opportunity there. So it was okay. I don’t begrudge them, or I love. There’s nothing there at all. I love Ohio State. But when that [Michigan] opportunity presented itself, man, it’s like dude.”

Chase was not a highly ranked national recruit coming out of St. Xavier in Cincinnati. He was a three-star prospect, while 247Sports ranked him outside the top 100 quarterbacks nationally. He did, however, put together a strong high school career, throwing for 3,983 yards and 32 touchdowns in 33 starts. Ohio State was aware of him. But the Buckeyes never offered him a scholarship.

Kirk Herbstreit had previously explained that Chase was caught in an awkward spot as programs adjusted to the new 105-player scholarship limit. With roster spots getting tighter, Chase was looking at preferred walk-on offers instead of the scholarship he wanted. Ohio State was one of the schools in the mix, but the scholarship never came. 

Michigan eventually offered him one, and Chase committed to the Wolverines in December 2024. For someone raised in an Ohio State family, that must have have been a tough call. Kirk Herbstreit didn’t see it that way. Michigan had given his son a real opportunity, and he was not going to stand in the way of it.

His father, Jim, played at Ohio State and later coached there under Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler. Kirk himself played QB for the Buckeyes from 1989 through 1993. His older sons Tye and Jake played at Clemson, while Zak is a former walk-on tight end at Ohio State. Zak now covers college football as an analyst. But Kirk Herbstreit said he never wanted his children to feel like they had to follow his path. He had one rule when it came to Chase: let him make the decision.

“I was properly trained to respect, but hate Michigan on one day out of the year,” Kirk Herbstreit said about his OSU-Michigan rivalry stance. “But if they played USC in a Rose Bowl, I went Michigan to win. I never really had this new-era hate.”

The way Michigan’s offer arrived makes the story even better. Kirk Herbstreit was in Atlanta preparing to call the SEC Championship Game between Georgia and Texas. Chase was traveling with him because his high school season was already over. Kirk was sitting with ESPN colleagues, including Chris Fowler and Nick Saban, when his phone rang. It was Michigan.

The Wolverines wanted to talk to Chase and were ready to offer him.
Kirk handed the phone over. Chase talked with Michigan’s staff, handled the paperwork on his phone, and committed while his father was still working.
By the time Kirk finished his meeting, Chase was officially a Wolverine.
Saban’s reaction, according to Kirk, was simple: “Congratulations.”