All About Sons Jake, Tye, Zak and Chase

Kirk Herbstreit‘s four kids — Jake, Tye, Zak and Chase — are following in his football footsteps.

The analyst met his wife, Alison Herbstreit, at Ohio State University (OSU), where he played football for the Buckeyes and Alison was a cheerleader. In 2000, the couple welcomed twin sons Jake and Tye, followed by Zak in 2002 and youngest son Chase in 2006.

All four of Kirk’s sons have played football at the collegiate level. Jake and Zak followed their father to OSU, with Zak winning the College Football Playoff National Championship with the team in 2025. Meanwhile, Tye played for Clemson University, while Chase is currently a quarterback for OSU’s rival, the University of Michigan.

As a parent, Kirk tries to be present and engage with his sons.

“I could be in the middle of anything, and if one of my kids says ‘Hey Dad,’ I’m like, ‘What?’ ” he told Pure Athlete podcast in March 2025. “It’s so on my mind to try to be present … if your kid’s talking to you and you’re texting, [you will] create a big wedge between yourself and your kid.”

From their own football careers to their relationship with their father, here’s everything to know about Kirk Herbstreit’s four kids.

Jake Herbstreit, 25

Jake was born on June 18, 2000, alongside his twin brother Tye. He was born eight weeks early and weighed 2 lbs., Kirk told Pure Athlete in March 2025.

“That was my introduction to being a dad,” he said. “They were in the NICU for about eight weeks — to this day, I’m just so concerned about them because of those images that we dealt with.”

Growing up, Jake attended the Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, where he played on defense for the football team, per The Tennessean. After graduating high school, he studied marketing at Clemson University from 2019 to 2021. There, he also played football for the Tigers, appearing in four games while red shirting in 2019, according to his athlete bio.

In 2021, Jake transferred to OSU, where he studied consumer and family financial services and was part of the Sigma Chi fraternity, according to his LinkedIn.

While at OSU, Jake held an internship with The Pat McAfee Show. He later joined his father on the road and created videos of their experiences together, telling ABC-6 in October 2022 that he’d be interested in a career both behind and in front of the camera.

“It’s been half the fun being with my dad and watching his process,” he said. “I made some videos and posted them and he liked them so I kept going.”

Kirk added, “If you’re like me, I’ve always tried to let my kids find their passion, I don’t care what it is … [Jake’s] been busy but it’s nice that he wants to spend time with me.”

Tye Herbstreit, 25

Tye was born alongside his twin brother, Jake, on June 18, 2000.

Growing up, Tye attended Montgomery Bell alongside Jake. At the time, their coach Marty Eduverard told The Tennessean, “You cannot tell those two guys apart. You’ll be talking to one and think it’s the other one. Sometimes we’ll call them O-Herby and D-Herby, because one of them (Tye) starts on offense, and one of them (Jake) starts on defense.”

After graduating high school, Tye attended Clemson alongside Jake. He was a walk-on for the Clemson Tigers and played 44 offensive snaps over 12 games, per his athlete bio.

He graduated in May 2023, earning a degree in marketing. At the time, the college posted a photo of him alongside his parents at his ceremony.

Tye is also active on YouTube, where he reviews movies and hosts a podcast, Streit Talk Show, alongside Jake.

Zak Herbstreit, 22

Kirk and Alison welcomed Zak on Dec. 9, 2002.

He attended Montgomery Bell like his brothers, and then went to OSU in 2021, where he was a preferred walk-on and played as a tight end for the Buckeyes, per his athlete bio. There, he also studied marketing.

By joining the university, he became part of the first three-generation family of players in OSU’s history, as both Kirk and Kirk’s father, Jim, were captains for the Buckeyes.

In June 2023, Zak was hospitalized due to a heart condition, with his father sharing during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show that he was facing a “three-to-four month recovery” at the time. He was first diagnosed with pneumonia before an echocardiogram revealed that his heart was causing the issue.

After the Buckeyes won the College Football Playoff National Championship in January 2025, Kirk shared that Zak had been diagnosed with heart failure and medically retired from football.

However, Zak remained with the team in a student coach role. At the time, Kirk thanked OSU Head Coach Ryan Day for “putting his arms around Zak and keeping him involved.”

After the Buckeyes victory, Zak wrote on Instagram, “What a way to end it. While it wasn’t the road I had planned on taking in my football journey, it all worked out in the end. Extremely blessed to call this university my home for the past 4 years and even more blessed to have such incredible teammates and coaches by my side.”

In August 2025, On3 announced that they had hired Zak as a national college football analyst. There, he serves as the host of Off Script with Zak Herbstreit, which is “a new show featuring in-depth conversations with players, coaches, and prominent voices around the game,” the outlet said in a statement.

Chase Herbstreit, 18

The couple welcomed their youngest son, Chase, on Aug. 7, 2006.

Growing up, he attended St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati, where he played football. Going into college recruiting, he was a three-star prospect, the 128th overall quarterback prospect in the U.S. and the 102nd best recruit in Ohio, per his athlete bio.

Chase ultimately decided to attend the University of Michigan. Even though OSU and Michigan are rivals, Kirk doesn’t let that stop him from rooting for his son.

“What an opportunity for him. This is a kid that grew up a lifelong Ohio State fan, of all my kids. Like, he’s the guy that cried when they lose games,” Kirk said during a December 2024 appearance on the Pardon My Take podcast. “Ohio State did not really pursue him to the point of offering him a scholarship.”

Chase started playing football for the Wolverines in August 2025, writing on Instagram, “This is where the fun begins.”