Zak Herbstreit, the son of Kirk Herbstreit and a current tight end at Ohio State, is home from the hospital.
The 21-year-old was in stable condition with what his father called “some issues with his heart.”
The ESPN analyst said “the last five or six days have been kind of a whirlwind,” but things are trending upward for his son.
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Zak Herbstreit #89 of the Ohio State Buckeyes walks onto the field during before their game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Ohio Stadium on October 30, 2021 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
“He’s in good spirits, he’s home with us where his mom can take really good care of him,” the former quarterback told “The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday.” This is just going to 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 kind of thing to kind of see how it recovers. But the key is being patient and positive.”
The elder Herbstreit said the hospitalization “came out of nowhere,” and they initially thought he had pneumonia, but further testing showed otherwise.
“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,” Kirk said, “The [echocardiogram] 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 had very few symptoms. You would never know that he was dealing with what he’s dealing with.”
ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit apologized Tuesday after suggesting University of Michigan could use the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to dodge a scheduled game with Ohio State. (Steve Limentani/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
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“I have had a bit of a setback these past couple of weeks. Not feeling right,” Zak said. “Culminated with tests results this past Friday that forced me into the hospital. I have some of the best cardiologists looking after me, and I am beyond appreciative. We are doing a number of tests and conjuring a plan to ensure that I will be able to be back to feeling normal again. I appreciate the overwhelming support over the past couple of days. I am feeling good and hope to be out of the hospital soon.”
Zak Herbstreit has been with the Buckeyes since 2021. He previously played tight end for Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, Tennessee. He is a third-generation Ohio State football player; his grandfather, Jim Herbstreit, played running back, and his father started at quarterback from 1989 to 1993.
ESPN announcer Kirk Herbstreit talks to his son, Ohio State Buckeyes tight end Zak Herbstreit, prior to the Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Dec. 31, 2022, in Atlanta. (Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch)
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Ohio State is coming off an appearance in the College Football Playoff and will enter the upcoming season ranked as the No. 4 team in the country in the preseason coaches poll. The Buckeyes kick off the 2023 season on Sept. 2 against Minnesota.
Fox News’ Chantz Martin contributed to this report.
