Kirk Herbstreit is one of the biggest names in college football, and his youngest son could also be on the path to gridiron stardom.
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Chase Herbstreit is a junior quarterback at high school football powerhouse St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati, and he currently lists his top schools as Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan and Notre Dame. The class of 2025 player doesn't have any offers yet, however, according to 247Sports.
Quarterback Chase Herbstreit 6’2” 185 no doubt is one of the Premier quarterback prospects in the Midwest class of 2025. Shows the arm strength and is very accurate. Makes good decisions and is a leader both on and off the field.@ChaseHerbstreit improvises extremely well. pic.twitter.com/ezyMNlKjSP
— Tom Lemming (@LemmingReport) March 18, 2023
His dad will no doubt support whichever school Chase wants to attend if he's offered, but those latter two programs might be a tough pill to swallow for the Buckeyes legend.
Kirk was the 1992 Buckeyes team MVP and held Ohio State passing records for completions (28) and single-game yards (271) for over a decade. Kirk was no slouch of a high school athlete himself, having won the 1987 Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year award as a senior, alongside his forays as standout basketball and baseball player at Centerville High School.
The Herbstreits bleed scarlet and gray. Kirk's wife, Alison, is a former Buckeye cheerleader; and son Zak is a tight end for Ohio State as well. Even their grandfather, Jim Herbstreit, was a co-captain of the 1960 Buckeyes and later assistant coach under Woody Hayes. Ohio State might seem like a lock for any Herbstreit, but Chase's brothers Tye and Jake were members of the Clemson football team, so the youngest Herbstreit's college choice isn't cemented just yet.
It could be difficult to handle all of those Ohio football ties for Herbstreit, but Chase is forging his own football path at St. X in Cincinnati. The school has sent the likes of Luke Kuechly, Rocky Boiman and Sean Clifford to the NFL and even more talent to college football teams nationwide.
Chase took over the starting job late last year as a sophomore and helped the Bombers to a 6-4 regular season record this year against a tough Ohio High School Athletic Association schedule and several matchups with out-of-state powers. A potential playoff run awaits a program that has won four state titles since 2005 and is now helmed by a quarterback with football greatness in his blood.
2025 St Xavier (OH) QB Chase Herbstreit 🎯!#QBX🎯💪🌪 pic.twitter.com/24tie5Lioj
— Brad Maendler (@BradMaendler) April 4, 2023
Junior regular season highlights https://t.co/2HUzrDOn62 pic.twitter.com/sWPNhGSQov
— Chase Herbstreit (@ChaseHerbstreit) October 22, 2023
If there's one thing Kirk is sure about in his son, it's that the youngster has the competitive fire needed to succeed.
"His competitive spirit and the, I think, intangibles are really unique with him," his dad told On3. "You hear those sayings about whether he's playing you in ping-pong, golf or 1-on-1 hoops, he's going to be that guy you don't want to go against because he's going to find a way to win or say, 'Okay, we're playing again.' And that's how he is on the football field, ultra-competitive, which I think is really important at that position."
Chase's competitive juices led to a junior year campaign in which he threw for 1,262 yards and nine touchdowns. The class of 2025 product hopes he can get even better going forward and leave his own mark at both St. Xavier and beyond as he continues his burgeoning career under center.
