Kirk Herbstreit Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports

Former Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback and current ESPN college football analyst and broadcaster Kirk Herbstrieit has had a tough go of things recently.

The world mourned alongside Herbstreit after he lost his beloved dog, Ben, to cancer. Now it seems that Herbstreit has been stretched so thin that he and ESPN are making the decision to remove him from one of his previous obligations for the network.


Herbstreit, who used to be a regular for ESPN’s reveal of the weekly college football playoff rankings, wasn’t a part of the first rankings for the 2024 season. He revealed during Saturday’s broadcast of the Alabama versus LSU game that he is no longer a part of the show.

“I retired from that,” Herbstreit said, per Awful Announcing.

Fans reacted to the news that Herbstreit was done with the rankings show on social media.

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“I bet he will be on the playoff selection show. His schedule is full. Taking Tuesday’s off is good,” one fan said on Twitter, noting how he also is booked on Thursday nights calling NFL games.

“Nothing stands in between ESPN and the SEC bag,” noting that Herbstreit was one of the few voices on the program who wasn’t staunchly pro-SEC.

It’ll be interesting to see if Herbsreit does indeed return for the selection episode in the show’s last showing of the season.

[Awful Announcing]

About Qwame Skinner

Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. At Next Impulse, Qwame covers sports with the same enthusiasm he brings to his recreational basketball and softball leagues.