Rece Davis Congratulates College GameDay’s Kirk Herbstreit

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Grant Bricker | Last updated Sep 24, 2025 8:29 PM ET

It is hard to imagine the game of college football without Kirk Herbstreit in the broadcast booth.

Herbstreit played quarterback at Ohio State from 1989-1992 and soon joined ESPN in 1995. In 1996, he joined ESPN's "College GameDay," where he still serves to this day with Rece Davis, Desmond Howard and Pat McAfee.

Longtime "College GameDay" host Lee Corso retired following the Week 1 showdown of No. 1 Texas vs. No. 3 Ohio State, making Herbstreit the longest-tenured member of the show.

On Wednesday, Herbstreit received the news that he had won the 2025 Pat Summerall Award from Legends of Charity. Herbstreit received praise for the honor from colleagues and fans alike, including Davis via X.

"Congrats, my friend!" Davis said. "Well deserved."

The award benefits St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and is presented annually to a broadcaster who has had an outstanding career and made a significant impact on their community.

Herbstreit will receive the award at the NFL Headquarters Hotel, The San Francisco Marriott Marquis, during Super Bowl weekend on Feb. 5, 2026. His number of accolades as a broadcaster includes five Sports Emmy Awards.

The longtime broadcaster has a hectic schedule during football season.

"College GameDay" is heading to Happy Valley for the upcoming showdown between No. 3 Penn State and No. 6 Oregon. It will be a rematch of last season's Big Ten Championship Game. The Ducks won that game 45-37 to claim their first-ever Big Ten title.

Before then, Herbstreit will call the game between the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals on Thursday Night Football at 8:15 p.m. ET on Prime Video.

Following "College GameDay," he will head down to Athens, Georgia, to call the matchup featuring No. 17 Alabama and No. 5 Georgia at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

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

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