The ESPN analyst finds himself at the center of a heated debate over his objectivity in college football coverage.

Kirk Herbstreit wasn’t able to hold back his emotions after Ohio State won the national championship on Monday night. A day later, Herbstreit revealed there was more happening in his life that previously had not been shared widely.

Ohio State winning the national championship is an emotional moment for Buckeyes everywhere, including ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit. Speaking w

ESPN broadcaster Kirk Herbstreit felt all the emotions during his postgame debrief with Scott Van Pelt and Chris Fowler after his Ohio State Buckeyes won the College Football Playoff national title.

If you thought Kirk Herbstreit just somewhat liked Ohio State football, think again. He’s a self-proclaimed “junkie.”

The Buckeyes beat Notre Dame, 34-23, in the national title game. After the game, Herbstreit broke down into tears when talking about how inspiring this Ohio State run through the playoff was after losing to Michigan earlier in the season. That would be all well and good, except for the fact that Herbstreit played quarterback for OSU from 1989-1993.

When asked about the Buckeyes’ 34-23 win over Notre Dame, the ESPN analyst, who also quarterbacked Ohio State from 1989-93 and has a son currently on the team, became emotional and wiped away tears during the network’s postgame show at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Kirk Herbstreit pulled back the curtains on why he was so emotional after Ohio State’s national championship win over Notre Dame on Monday night.

Kirk Herbstreit is as professional as it comes when he calls college ... When I call these games, I am incredibly objective, and I love all these Ohio State teams, but this team, because of what they went through to get to this point, is just happy.

Herbstreit — a Centerville, Ohio, native — graduated from Ohio State after playing with the Buckeyes from 1989 to 1992.

Did Kirk Herbstreit play at Ohio State? Here's everything to know about the ESPN commentator's playing career:

Kirk Herbstreit grew up respecting Notre Dame, but the former Ohio State quarterback from near Dayton also wanted to beat the Fighting Irish.