Kirk Herbstreit's New College GameDay Travel Buddy Makes 'Himself Right At Home'

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Spencer Ostrow | Last updated Nov 16, 2024 10:15 AM ET

The past couple of weeks have been tough for ESPN’s "College GameDay" host, Kirk Herbstreit. His golden retriever, Ben, passed away at 10 years old after a battle with cancer.

But Ben wasn’t just any dog—he was a familiar face to college football fans across the country, who came to love him through Herbstreit’s travel schedule.

Each week, Herbstreit travels for NFL Thursday Night Football, cheers on his son’s high school games on Fridays, hosts "College GameDay" on Saturday mornings, and calls ABC’s primetime college football games on Saturday nights. Through it all, Ben was by his side, traveling with him.

Ben would make appearances on national television, walking around while Herbstreit was on the air.

On Saturday, before "College GameDay" went live from Athens for the No. 7 Tennessee vs. No. 12 Georgia game, Herbstreit’s new travel buddy—at least for now—Peter, took a stroll around the set and seemed to be enjoying himself.

"Look at this guy!!!" Herbstreit captioned the video while sharing it on X. "Making himself right at home ."

Look at this guy!!! Making himself right at home pic.twitter.com/fraxchO8z5
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) November 16, 2024

There’s no replacing Ben, but Herbstreit is giving Peter, also a golden retriever, a trial run this week to see if he’s ready to join him for the rest of the season.

Ben’s “little brother” has been part of the Herbstreit family since last December, and now he’s getting his chance to spend more time with his father.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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