Kirk Herbstreit Drops Bombshell Take on College Football’s Darkest Secret Fan Culture
College football fan bases are a breed unto themselves — fiercely loyal, wildly passionate, and sometimes just downright toxic. But can a group of fans be so intense they earn the all-time crown of ‘most toxic’ in the sport? According to a recent study by Elite College Football, yes — and that dubious honor goes to none other than Ohio State’s Buckeyes. Fresh off a national championship, you might expect their fan base to be basking in glory. Instead, they’re clocking a perfect 10.0 out of 10 on the toxicity scale. What’s going on here? Could it be that the Buckeyes’ ‘lunatic fringe,’ as ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit calls them, is growing louder and more relentless? It’s enough to make even the most devoted chant, “Does anyone really love OSU, or just love firing the coach after every big game?” If you think this is just typical college football fervor, think again — this is a phenomenon that’s reshaping how we talk about fan culture and loyalty. Buckle up, because protecting your head coach might just be the new full-contact sport in Columbus. LEARN MORE
A study recently named the most “toxic” fan base in all of college football.
Few sports, if any, produce more crazy fan bases than college football. It rivals European soccer, from the loyalty to the intensity to the pageantry. There are grown men in their 40s and 50s who sit on college football message boards all day long, arguing about 17-year-old recruits and taking shots at their rivals. It’s that serious.
Of course, there are plenty of “toxic” college football fan bases across the country. But only one could be named No. 1.
That school: Ohio State.
Elite College Football named the Ohio State Buckeyes fan base, fresh off a national championship, as the most “toxic” fan base in all of college football.
Ohio State came in with a 10.0 out of 10.0 ranking.
Ohio State is perhaps the biggest fan base in the country. The Buckeyes wanted head coach Ryan Day fired after this past November’s loss to Michigan – the school’s fourth straight. But Day went on to win a national championship and appears to be on solid footing – for now.
Of course, that could change in an instant if Ohio State loses to Michigan again in November.
Meanwhile, Kirk Herbstreit, who played quarterback at Ohio State – and whose father coached at the school – has made his opinion on the “toxic” college football fan base very clear.
Herbstreit loves Ohio State, but he believes there’s a “lunatic fringe” that is growing by the day.
“The lunatic fringe at Ohio State is as powerful as anywhere in the country. It used to be eight to 10 (percent), I think it’s grown now to about 15 to 20. I’m sure they’ll be happy tonight, fired up about what the team did, but God forbid they lose to Oregon. They’ll want to fire [Day] again,” Herbstreit said in December.
“First Take tried to fire him. They thought he was done, so I’ll be excited to see what they talk about on Monday after this performance. They had him out, trying to find replacements. But here he is, he still has his hat on. He’s still coaching.”
In defense of Ryan Day, Kirk Herbstreit took aim at:
– The "lunatic fringe" at Ohio State. "The lunatic fringe at Ohio State is as powerful as anywhere in the country."
– First Take: "They thought he was done. So I'll be excited to see what they talk about on Monday." pic.twitter.com/0Ovs0MBMOd
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 22, 2024
It’s personal for Herbstreit, too.
More than a decade ago, he and his family moved out of Columbus. Ohio State’s fan base might have played a role in that move.
“Nobody loves Ohio State more than me,” Herbstreit told the Columbus Dispatch in 2011. “I still have a picture of Woody Hayes and my dad (Jim, a former OSU player) in my office, and nobody will do more than I do for the university behind the scenes. But I’ve got a job to do, and I’m going to continue to be fair and objective. To continue to have to defend myself and my family in regards to my love and devotion to Ohio State is unfair. …
“Eighty to ninety percent of the Ohio State fans are great. It’s the vocal minority that make it rough. They probably represent only 5 to 10 percent of the fan base, but they are relentless.”
Ohio State and its “toxic” fan base, meanwhile, will open the 2025 season on Saturday, Aug. 30 against Texas.
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