Zak Herbstreit Ohio State
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Ohio State tight end Zak Herbstreit, the son of longtime college football broadcaster Kirk Herbstreit, is dealing with a heart issue "came out of nowhere," the elder Herbsreit said on the "Pat McAfee Show" Thursday. Zak, a junior for the Buckeyes, was recently released from the hospital and recovery could take up to three or four months. 

"The last five or six days have been kind of a whirlwind," Kirk said. "He's been in the hospital with some issues with his heart. We've just been trying to keep up with that.

"He's in good spirits, he's home with us where his mom can take really good care of him," Herbstreit continued. "This is just gonna be a long process to kind of see how his heart responds to some of the medications that he's on. This is a three or four month kinda thing to kinda see how it recovers. But the key is being patient and positive."

Zak joined the Ohio State football team as a preferred walk-on in 2021 after playing high school football at Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, Tennessee. He has yet to record any official statistics with the Buckeyes. 

"I really would encourage anybody who's playing sports to go a little bit more than just doing your normal physical or even EKG wiring, that's not really enough," Herbstreit said of his son. "The echo is what you really need to discover some things that potentially can be scary. We're very fortunate that he got the echo and found some stuff." 

He is the third Herbstreit in as many generations to play football at Ohio State. In addition to his father's time playing quarterback for the Buckeyes from 1989-92, his late grandfather, Jim, played multiple positions at Ohio State from 1958-60. Kirk and Jim were both team captains at points of their respective Buckeye playing careers.

Of Kirk's four sons, Zak is the third to play football collegiately. The eldest, twins Tye and Jake, walked on at Clemson in 2019. Tye graduated from Clemson in May after spending four seasons with the Tigers football program, while Jake transferred to Ohio State after two seasons and did not continue his football career. The youngest, Chase, is entering his junior season as a quarterback at St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Ohio State's 2023 season kicks off Sept. 2 at Indiana. The Buckeyes are entering their fifth season under coach Ryan Day. Ohio State reached the College Football Playoff in 2022, losing to eventual champion Georgia in the CFP Peach Bowl semifinal.