Tag: Kirk herbstreit

Kirk Herbstreit and Chris Fowler will be in EA Sports College Football 25 and fans are pumped

College Football 25 will feature Kirk Herbstreit, Chris Fowler and some other big names as commentators.

New details about the upcoming EA Sports College Football 25 game continue to trickle out, and on Thursday we learned more about the commentators in the game.

Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, David Pollack, Jesse Palmer and Kevin Connors all announced their involvement in the game Thursday, and the news was met with excitement from fans looking for an authentic broadcast experience. Each of the broadcast veterans has a familiar voice from their respective tenures at ESPN, and Herbstreit, who remains on College GameDay, was in EA’s last college football game, NCAA Football 14.

The news came on the same day it was announced players could begin opting in to have their name, image and likeness reflected in the game. It only added to the hype around the game’s eventual release.

Kirk Herbstreit defends himself in the recruitment of Dylan Raiola

Kirk Herbstreit shares his side of the story in the Dylan Raiola saga

ESPN college football expert Kirk Herbstreit defended himself to Paul Finebaum regarding the recruitment of five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola. Raiola flipped his commitment from Georgia to Nebraska right before the early signing period.

Dylan Raiola’s father, Dominic Raiola, mentioned in an interview that Herbstreit played a role in his son flipping to Nebraska. Dominic Raiola played at Nebraska and his brother, Donovan, is the offensive line coach for the Cornhuskers. This narrative did not enthuse Georgia fans.

However, Kirk Herbstreit shared his side of the story to Paul Finebaum. Herbstreit said, “I of course did not sell Nebraska and try to tell anybody not to go to Georgia. That’s the most ridiculous thing that anybody would do.”

Herbstreit did note that he likes Nebraska coach Matt Rhule and thinks it is cool that Dylan Raiola would consider flipping from a national championship contender to a team that struggles to make bowl games.

Here’s Herbstreit’s conversation with Paul Finebaum:

Ultimately, we do think that it is cool that Dylan Raiola is going to play where his father played.

What did ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit tell Dylan Raiola’s father before the Georgia flip? ‘I of course did not try and sell Nebraska’

Kirk Herbstreit discusses his alleged role in Dylan Raiola’s flip to Nebraska.

Dylan Raiola’s flip on the eve of the early signing period made waves in the college football world. It continues to do so, with ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit’s “involvement” in the five-star quarterback’s flip from Georgia to Nebraska.

According to Rivals, the quarterback is the second-best player in the nation in the class of 2024.

In a recent interview with Rivals, Dominic Raiola said that Herbstreit, a former Ohio State quarterback who is one of ESPN’s biggest personalities, offered advice to the family in the days leading up to the Nebraska flip.

With his father a former standout at Nebraska and his brother on staff, the decision by Dylan Raiola to leave in-state Georgia for the Big Ten program certainly makes sense. But it is Herbstreit’s involvement that has raised some eyebrows.

There were questions about the appropriateness concerning Herstreit’s involvement in the star quarterback ending up in Nebraska for head coach Matt Rhule’s rebuilding of the program.

In an appearance Thursday on the Paul Finebaum Show, Herbstreit clarified and defended his role.

“When somebody calls and says ‘What do you think of Matt Rhule’ and you like Matt Rhule…are you supposed to say Matt Rhule is a bad guy? Matt Rhule is an idiot? Matt Rhule is a bad coach? Or do you say ‘I like Matt Rhule. I think Matt Rhule is a good coach.’ And the other part of it that he said, I think the family legacy,” Herbstreit told ESPN’s Finebaum.

“I think he mentioned his brother was an assistant coach (Donovan Raiola) there at Nebraska and of course, Dom was a great player there himself, an All-American.

“And I think it sounded like the family, out of their respect for their love for Nebraska, that they were really torn. That’s what he made it sound like.”

Herbstreit said that the story was compelling to him. Before he decided to flip, Dylan Raiola was weighing his current commitment to Georgia, a juggernaut program that has two national championships in recent years.

 

But the heart, Herbstreit said, was tugging for Nebraska.

“I felt like being a guy that went to Ohio State and a lot of it had to do with my dad (Jim Herbstreit was a former Ohio State player and assistant coach)…I just said ‘Wow, the fact that your son can go to any school, any powerhouse that is competing for national titles and because of his respect for his own dad, he’s thinking about maybe going to Nebraska?’ A place that hasn’t competed for national titles in 20 years,” Kirk Herstreit said.

“That says about who the kid is. It’s not just about going to the NFL.”

In closing out his defense, the ESPN analyst made it clear that his advice was not geared toward pushing Dylan Raiola in the direction of one program or another.

“I of course did not try and sell Nebraska and try to tell anyone not to go to Georgia. That’s the most ridiculous thing that anybody would do,” Kirk Herbstreit said.

“But I did compliment Matt Rhule – if I’m guilty of anything, I said that Matt Rhule was a good coach and he’s a good man. I do believe he will bring Nebraska back, like he did Temple and Baylor.”

What role did Kirk Herbstreit play in Dylan Raiola signing with Nebraska

Did one of college football’s top analysts have a role in helping Nebraska secure a five-star recruit?

Did one of college football’s top analysts have a role in helping Nebraska secure a five-star recruit? According to the recruit’s father, that may be the case.

Dominic Raiola, father of quarterback Dylan Raiola, spoke to Adam Gorney, national recruiting director for Rivals, and said that ESPN’s Kirk Heberstreit was someone who reached out and offered advice.

“When this was happening, I will bring up one guy’s name, Kirk Herbstreit. When he saw the smoke about Dylan entertaining Nebraska, he called me and said, ‘dude, is this true? He got to do it.’ His affinity for Nebraska, for a guy like that to tell me and get behind me.”

In December, Raiola flipped his commitment from the Georgia Bulldogs to the Cornhuskers class of 2024. There are strong family connections to the program as his father, Dominic Raiola, played at Nebraska from 1998 to 2000 and was the first Rimington Trophy winner.

His uncle Donovan is Nebraska’s offensive line coach. The news of the phone call caused a flood of reactions, most of them negative. Herbstreit told Paul Finebaum that the idea that he would try influencing recruiting at any level is ridiculous.

The former Ohio State quarterback said that if he was guilty of anything, it was giving his honest feelings regarding Husker head coach Matt Rhule.

“Are you supposed to say Matt Rhule is a bad guy, Matt Rhule is an idiot, Matt Rhule is a bad coach? Or do you say, ‘I like Matt Rhule. I think Matt Rhule is a good coach.’”

From previous comments from Dylan and Dominic Raiola, it’s pretty clear that several factors played into the commitment switch. It’s highly doubtful that one phone call from Kirk Herbstreit played any role in the decision.

Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.

Kirk Herbstreit wanted Nebraska signee Dylan Raiola to flip from Georgia

Kirk Herbstreit encouraged Dylan Raiola’s flip from UGA to Nebraska

Five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola made perhaps the biggest splash of the 2024 recruiting cycle when he flipped his commitment to Nebraska ahead of the early signing period. The No. 2 quarterback in the country, per 247Sports, had been committed to Georgia football for nearly seven months before changing his mind.

More information surfaced regarding Raiola’s decision on Wednesday, which also happens to be national signing day. Dylan’s father, Dominic Raiola, shared a story with Rivals about receiving a call from ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit after a flip to Nebraska began to gain traction.

“I’ll bring up one guys name, his name is Kirk Herbstreit. When he saw the smoke about Dylan entertaining Nebraska, he was like call me, he was like ‘Dude if this is true, he’s gotta do it.’ His affinity for Nebraska, for a guy like that to tell me and get behind me, you know I knew he needed to do it, but I wasn’t going to sit here and say you need to go change that place or be a part of the change of that place. So when Kirk told me that, you know I was like man, I had other coaches reach and say the place is special and coach Rhule is a special leader.”

It’s unlikely that Herbstreit’s call caused Raiola to make the flip. Dominic Raiola was a two-time All-Big 12 selection at center for the Cornhuskers, while his brother, Donovan Raiola, coaches the offensive line on Matt Rhule’s staff.

What’s confusing about this new information is Herbstreit’s affinity with Nebraska, which was enough to prompt him to call Dominic Railoa. Herbstreit is a Ohio State alumnus and covers college football at the national level. We don’t often hear of a personality like Herbstreit singling out a recruit, or encouraging a player to sign with a different school than he’s committed to.

 

Kirk Herbstreit’s dog Ben and Washington’s live mascot Dubs finally met, and it was adorable

!!! GOOD BOYS ALERT !!!

Monday’s College Football Playoff national championship game was won before it was even played.

The bestest boys you could ever imagine showed up in full force, as Kirk Herbstreit’s dog Ben and the Washington Huskies dog mascot Dubs were the real VIPs at Houston’s NRG Stadium.

Herbstreit has brought Ben along with him to various sporting events this season, and of course this wonderful golden retriever showed up for this year’s college football title game.

Herbstreit took Ben on a pregame walk and even brought him onto the field for a segment along with Chris Fowler. Look at that good boy!

Dubs also showed up to support his team, looking like the happiest malamute in the world.

These two star dogs even got to meet before the game, and it was absolutely adorable to see these good boys sitting together.

Shower them with hugs and cookies!

The national title game was great and all, but we all won for getting to spend a little screen time with these amazing pups.

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ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit: With the College Football Playoff expanding next year, ‘Don’t play bowls’

ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit says with the expanded College Football Playoff, there is no reason for bowl games.

No bowls for you! ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit, as big of a junkie of the sport as they come, doesn’t want bowl games anymore. The former Ohio State quarterback, now one of the most prominent faces on ESPN, says that the College Football Playoff is enough.

Most bowl games should go into the history books, Herbstreit said.

Convenient, of course, because Ohio State projects to be in the newly expanded College FootballPlayoff format on an annual basis.

But for fans of programs like Rutgers, who beat Miami in the Pinstripe Bowl last week, these postseason games mean something and build momentum for next year. Rutgers 31-24 win in the Pinstripe Bowl saw them capture the program’s first winning season as well as their first bowl win since 2014.

The win saw Rutgers finish the season 7-6 (3-5 Big Ten).

Herbstreit thinks there is bowl overkill right now and that the product, given all the top-outs, is diluted. The College Football Playoff should be enough to satisfy the sport’s massive fanbase.

“I think the 12-team playoff is going to create a lot of buzz. How many games will that be, seven total? You have the quarterfinals,the  semis and the national championship,” Herbstreit said on ESPN this week.

“I think we’re headed to – I’m a college basketball fan, we all get our brackets out, March Madness…Tell me about the NIT, how’s that going for you? You know who is even in the NIT? That’s where the bowls are going next year. I think you eliminate the bowls. Nobody wants to play in them, don’t play bowls

“Don’t play bowls. We’ll have the 12 teams, we’ll get excited about those and if you want to add maybe five or six more bowls outside of that, then do five six. We’re getting to a point that is ridiculous. We’re putting 6-6 teams in bowl games nobody cares about.”

There are currently 41 bowl games.

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Herbstreit was the starting quarterback for Ohio State in the 1992 Citrus Bowl in a loss to Georgia.

Future Big Ten member Washington (set to join the conference in 2024) will play current Big Ten member Michigan in the College Football Playoff National Championship next week.

Fans blasted Kirk Herbstreit for mispronouncing Shohei Ohtani’s name on Thursday Night Football

Put some respect on Shohei Ohtani’s name!

Shohei Ohtani and his monster $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers is no doubt the biggest sports story we’ve seen over the last few months. That fact alone makes it quite bewildering that someone like Kirk Herbstreit managed to mispronounce Ohtani’s name during Week 16’s Thursday Night Football game.

With the Los Angeles Rams hosting the New Orleans Saints, Ohtani made an appearance at neighboring SoFi Stadium, thrilling fans in the process. Given Ohtani’s celebrity status as a superstar baseball player, it’s no wonder all eyes were on the 29-year-old during his time at the game.

During the Thursday Night Football broadcast with Al Michaels and Herbstreit, the duo talked about the Dodgers star as he was shown on the big screens in the stadium. But instead of saying “Shohei Ohtani”, Herbstreit said something completely different.

Yikes. Given that it seems Herbstreit was coming into Thursday night’s game a bit under the weather, the mispronunciation could have very well been an honest mistake. It happens! Still, it’s not a great look to mispronounce the name of baseball’s biggest star on a national broadcast like that.

Sports fans also took exception to Herbstreit’s mispronouncing Ohtani’s name on Thursday Night Football.

Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit perfectly summed up the Chargers’ horrific first half against the Raiders

The Chargers were NOT having a good time.

The Los Angeles Chargers were not having a great time on Thursday Night Football.

In an absolutely disastrous first half, the Chargers went down 28-0 to the very average Las Vegas Raiders by the middle of the second quarter.

On the play that set up Las Vegas for its fourth touchdown of the game, Raiders wide receiver DJ Turner stripped the ball away from Chargers cornerback Michael Davis deep in Los Angeles territory to position quarterback Aidan O’Connell for the score.

Game announcers Kirk Herbstreit and Al Michaels were aghast at how bad of a game this was turning out to be for Los Angeles, as they could only find words like “disaster” and “nightmare” to describe how things were going.

This was the kind of performance that summed up the state of Chargers football this season, as losing quarterback Justin Herbert for the year put Los Angeles in an even worse position than it was already in.

It didn’t help that the Chargers let up yet another touchdown later in the second quarter to make the score a startling 35-0.

After that, Michaels and Herbstreit thought the Chargers looked absolutely defeated because of how poorly things were going.

NFL fans couldn’t help but agree with Herbstreit’s and Michaels’ assessments of how this game was going before halftime.

Herbstreit: Marvin Harrison Jr. Not a ‘slam dunk’ to enter the 2024 NFL Draft

Harrison is the early consensus best prospect, but Herbie believes he might return to Ohio State

In what is stacking up to be one of the most loaded draft classes in recent memories there seem to be multiple high level stars potentially choosing to stay in school as an effect of the lucrative NIL deals offered in college football. One of those stars is Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr., who is wildly regarded as the top receiver in the country and a locked-in Top-10 draft pick.

According to ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit in an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, although it is likely Harrison will eventually declare for the 2024 NFL draft, it is not necessarily a guarantee.

“It’s not just a slam dunk anymore, with some of these guys maybe staying because of the money they can make,” Herbstreit said.

Herbstreit went on to reference that due to the amount of money college players can get, those projected to go in the later rounds are more likely to stick around due to receiving lucrative NIL deals.

Harrison not entering the draft would certainly shake up the draft process, and while it remains unlikely it plays out that way, it’s true that the NIL has majorly thrown a wrench into draft projection.