ESPN commentator and Thursday Night Football analyst Kirk Herbstreit might just be one of the busiest figures in the world of football. Not only is the popular on-air personality constantly flitting back and forth between his different shows, most of which requires him to visit college campuses around the country for game day, but he's also dividing his time between different homes in two states as a family man and a proud dad to four adult sons.
Kirk, 56, has been married to his wife Alison since 1998. The pair first met at Ohio State, where Kirk was a quarterback for the Buckeyes and Alison was a cheerleader. Together, they share four sons, all of whom have followed their father into the world of football and now live away from the family home themselves.
But where does the ESPN analyst actually live? With his wife, his sons, and most importantly, his four golden retrievers, Peter, Mitch, Theo and Beau? Here's all you need to know about Kirk's family and home life…
© InstagramKirk's family
Kirk and Alison share four boys: 25-year-old twins Jake and Tye, Zak, 22, and youngest Chase, 19. All four of them play football as well, with Jake and Tye playing for Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, and Chase playing with St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati. Jake attended Clemson University and played with the Tigers for two years before transferring to his parents' alma mater, Ohio State.
© InstagramKirk's youngest son, Chase, now a football player with the Michigan Wolverines
Tye stayed with Clemson and played for the Tigers, and now actively pursues a career online as a movie critic and podcast host. Middle son Zak played with Ohio State as well, but medically retired from the sport after suffering from heart trouble over the years, hired by On3 as an analyst like his father this August. Youngest Chase currently plays football for the University of Michigan's Wolverines.
© Getty ImagesWhere does Kirk live?
Up until 2011, Kirk lived in his native Ohio, specifically in Columbus. However, it was then he shared that he and his family were planning to move to Nashville, Tennessee, owing to negative reception from Ohio State fans when it came to his coverage. "Nobody loves Ohio State more than me," he told the Columbus Dispatch at the time.
"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…80-90 percent 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."
© Getty ImagesKirk and Peter
However, in 2021, he shared that he was moving back to Ohio, at least part-time, while his son began studying at a school in Cincinnati. Earlier this year, though, it looks like things have changed, especially now that Chase is in Michigan and the other three are all grown up and college graduates.
© Getty ImagesSpeaking with Donnie Evege at an event, he shared that he and Alison, who'd been diagnosed with breast cancer last year, were planning on moving back to Nashville. "Our goal was to go back to our home in Nashville. We're going to go back on June 1st, and we're excited about that. One of the things my wife and I talk about that we miss is that there's a trail. We just love it, and we go every day, and we miss that so much."
