Kirk Herbstreit's Peculiar Attire Scores Big Views at Michigan's Spring Game

Ever wonder how deep family ties run when it comes to college football allegiances? Well, here’s a tale that might make you chuckle or scratch your head in bewilderment. Meet ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit, whose allegiance to Ohio State runs deep, having played quarterback there, and then devoted decades to fostering the Buckeye spirit in his own children. But here’s the twist – his youngest, Chase Herbstreit, a promising quarterback recruit, didn’t follow in the family tradition. Instead, he sported the archrival’s maize and blue, committing to Michigan. Yes, you read that right. Kirk, now showing up in Ann Arbor, dressed in Michigan colors for his son’s spring game, has given us all a moment to pause and ponder: How far would you go for family? Is there a line you wouldn’t cross? Buckle up, and let’s take a look at how one legendary Buckeye is handling becoming a ‘Michigan Dad.’ LEARN MORE

ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit is going viral for his outfit at his son’s spring game…at the University of Michigan.

Herbstreit, who played quarterback at Ohio State, raised his four boys to be Buckeyes fans. And that they were. The four Herbstreit boys often attended games at The Horseshoe and even appeared on ESPN’s “College GameDay.”

While two of the older Herbstreit boys ended up attending and playing for Ohio State, the youngest has ended up at Michigan. Chase Herbstreit, a class of 2025 quarterback recruit, committed to the Wolverines earlier this year. 

Herbstreit explained to Barstool Sports’ “Pardon My Take” earlier this winter that his son chose Michigan over Ohio State because they offered him a scholarship. He understood he and his family would get some flack for it.

“I haven’t seen a whole lot of reaction intentionally,” Herbstreit said of the blowback to his youngest son committing to Michigan.

“I know that 80 percent of people are thrilled and 20 percent are jackasses. I just decided – it’s one thing to take shots at me, but if you take a shot at me, and you want to get into a fight, it’s not hard for me to do that. So I just try to ignore that stuff the best I can and stay focused on the positive.”

Herbstreit added that Ohio State didn’t really pursue his son. 

“Ohio State didn’t really pursue him to the point of offering him a scholarship. They were close,” Herbstreit admitted.

Herbstreit attended his son’s spring game in Ann Arbor, Michigan over the weekend.

The Buckeyes alum rocked some Michigan Wolverines maize and blue on the field.

Michigan reporter Isaiah Hole shared a photo of Herbstreit on the field.

Michigan dad @KirkHerbstreit pic.twitter.com/7WDd5jUBZu

— Isaiah Hole (@isaiahhole) April 19, 2025

It’s probably going to take a while to get used to Kirk Herbstreit being a Michigan dad.

The Wolverines are of course coming off four straight wins over the Buckeyes in The Game. 

It’ll be interesting to see what kind of rooting interest Herbstreit and his family have in the Ohio State vs. Michigan rivalry moving forward, that’s for sure.