On Monday, Kirk Herbstreit called the National Championship on ESPN featuring his alma mater, the Ohio State Buckeyes, against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. While he tried to maintain objectivity during the game, his true feelings emerged after Ohio State’s victory. Despite a spirited late charge from Notre Dame that made the contest competitive, Ohio State sealed their win with a crucial 57-yard pass from Will Howard to Jeremiah Smith, setting up a field goal that put the game out of reach.
The Jeremiah Smith huge play for Ohio State on 3rd-and-11, with Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit on the ESPN call. 🏈🎙️#CFP pic.twitter.com/HEOaFp2pxt
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 21, 2025
Following the game, Herbstreit and Chris Fowler joined Scott Van Pelt on SportsCenter with SVP, where Herbstreit expressed his excitement over Ohio State’s first National Championship victory since the CFP format began in 2014. “Herby, I’ll let you start as a guy who grew up there and wore the uniform of this team,” Van Pelt asked. Herbstreit replied, “Oh don’t start with me man. I’m a little emotional. I’m just fired up for these guys. When I call these games, I’m incredibly objective. I love all of these Ohio State teams, but this team because of what they went through to get to this point, you’re just happy.”
Kirk Herbstreit gets emotional on the postgame show.
“When I call these games I’m incredibly objective. I love all of these Ohio State teams, but this team because of what they went through to get to this point, you’re just happy.” pic.twitter.com/BylD7WBQ3N— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 21, 2025
This season was challenging for Ohio State, marked by a late loss to a middle-tier Michigan team, and Herbstreit also faced his own challenges regarding his relationship with the program. Earlier in the bowl season, he drew criticism for labeling a portion of the Ohio State fanbase as a “lunatic fringe” during the first round CFP matchup against Tennessee, a comment he has since defended. Despite the backlash, Herbstreit has always been candid about his Ohio State fandom, even acknowledging before Monday’s game that sometimes his inner fan inadvertently surfaces on-air.
Ohio State’s victory provided Herbstreit an opportunity to celebrate his team’s success without directly confronting any discontent from their fanbase. While some may question Herbstreit’s exuberance post-game, it’s clear he has earned the right to express his joy, given the tumultuous year for both him and the Ohio State program.
