Catching Up With Kirk Herbstreit

Sam Darnold felt like such a cerebral, good guy. The moment was never too big. So when he went to New York... everybody gets nervous and thinks, Is this going to work out? Obviously it didn't. But I love how this week he's said that he doesn’t regret that experience. He thinks both New York and going to Carolina were a big part of him developing. I love the fact that he got through all that.

AP: Did you see this happening so quickly with Drake Maye?

KH: No, I don't think anybody truly did. You can’t deny the talent. But as much as you loved him, he was at North Carolina -- a kind of middle-of-the-road ACC team. The one thing that stood out to me, honestly, was that he had three older brothers beating on him his whole life. Whether it was golf, basketball, football. I really think that he's the beneficiary of being the youngest brother. It’s made him into the athlete that he is. Ping-pong, golf, you name it, he's going to beat you. I love his competitive spirit. 

AP: Where does Fernando Mendoza's late touchdown run in the national title game rank in the moments you've gotten to witness in college football? 

KH: As good as I've seen. It was incredible to watch Indiana! I mean, Indiana basketball, of course, but not Indiana football. When they went to Oregon, I though, wow, this is a good team. Then the Penn State win, the way they – that last-second play. But what he did in that drive [in the national title game] made me go, holy cow. It's almost a movie the way it played out at the end with him going back to Miami to play the Hurricanes in that stadium. I don't know if Hollywood is paying attention, but it felt like a script. 

AP: How will Mendoza’s skills translate to the NFL?

KH: Some of these guys are thrown to the wolves. They don't have an offensive line. They're trying to find receivers. I don't know. He needs to go somewhere where they feel good about the offensive line and a good back. He can be a guy that manages an offense. He’s incredibly cerebral. And he has better skills than I think a lot of people want to give him credit for. I wouldn't bet against him. That kid is determined to be a great player and I think he will be in the NFL. 

AP: Are you worried about the state of college football?

KH: I'm worried just because so much change has happened so quickly. I don't feel like we have any rules. Can you imagine running any business in here without any rules? It’s great that players are making money. I think we've all kind of come to terms with that. But I think [we need] rules around it where players just can't leave whenever they want to. The NIL money is getting out of control.

But ratings have never been higher. Attendance has never been better. So the sport is flourishing. We've got to get some leadership to make some tough decisions and really get us where we feel better about the ground rules. Now everybody play here in the same sandbox. Right now everybody's doing whatever the hell they want to do. 

AP: It's your dog Peter's first Super Bowl. How's he enjoying it so far? 

KH: He's been everywhere. He's been to Lubbock, Texas. I mean, you can imagine the places he's been. And now here he is ending the season in San Francisco. 

AP: He’s a way bigger star than you on Radio Row.

KH: Oh yeah. I’m a handler. I do broadcasting on the side. He’s the star of the show.