Daily News 19

Tag: Kirk Herbstreit

  • Kirk Herbstreit Recounts ‘Emotional’ Meeting With Lee Corso

    Kirk Herbstreit Recounts ‘Emotional’ Meeting With Lee Corso

    Kirk Herbstreit shared a heartfelt reunion with his longtime College GameDay partner Lee Corso ahead of the 2025 college football season, offering a glimpse into their enduring friendship and Corso’s life after retirement.

    A Surprise Meeting in Orlando

    Herbstreit, 57, revealed the encounter during an exclusive interview with Us Weekly on Tuesday, September 8, facilitated through College GameDay’s partnership with CELSIUS. The meeting took place two to three weeks prior in Orlando, where Herbstreit was making an appearance.

    “I was doing an appearance down in Orlando maybe two or three weeks ago and he used to do this appearance for 25 years,” Herbstreit said. “It’s down right in his neck of the woods. He found out I was going to be down there and he asked if we could connect.”

    Corso, 91, retired from ESPN’s College GameDay in August 2025 after appearing on all 38 seasons of the show. Herbstreit joined the broadcast in 1996, and the two shared decades of on-air chemistry.

    Corso Insists on Driving Through a Thunderstorm

    Herbstreit described the reunion as “a very typical Lee Corso story.” Rather than meeting at the event venue, Corso insisted on driving to the airport to greet his former colleague.

    “I said, ‘How far is the airport?,’ He said ‘I don’t know, 30 minutes or so,’” Herbstreit explained. “I said, ‘You’re not driving.’ He said, ‘I am driving.’ You’re not going to win that battle. He drives over in the middle of a thunderstorm, because in Orlando those pop up at any moment. He’s 91 years old.”

    By the time Herbstreit landed, Corso was waiting. “We hugged, embraced. He was emotional because we haven’t seen each other in a while. When he cried, it made me cry. Because he’s my guy. We were able to hang out for probably 20 or 30 minutes and just kind of get caught up.”

    Sharp Mind Despite Physical Challenges

    Herbstreit noted that while Corso faces physical ailments, his cognitive abilities remain remarkable.

    “He’s got a lot of physical ailments that he’s been dealing with, but his mind is incredible.”

    “We’d all be lucky to have such cognitive thinking at 91,” Herbstreit marveled. “His eyes are sharp. He’s dialed in. He’s just going through some stuff that makes it tough on him.”

    Corso’s passion for the game hasn’t faded. “But he knows about teams. He knows about players. He’s got opinions. I just sat there and listened and loved hearing him talk about that. He’s great. I told him that everybody loves him, everybody misses him. He feels that love, so it’s always good to see him.”

    College GameDay’s New Partnership with CELSIUS

    This season, College GameDay launched a season-long sponsorship with energy drink brand CELSIUS. The partnership includes the CELSIUS Energy Stage, CELSIUS Fan Cam, and a traveling CELSIUS Combine experience.

    Herbstreit, who admitted he never cared for coffee, became a fan of the product in recent years.

    “I’ve never been a big coffee drinker and really never an energy drinker until maybe about two or three years ago,” Herbstreit said. “With all the travel I do, I don’t like the taste of coffee. But I do love the taste of CELSIUS. My favorite is the grape.”

    He expressed optimism about the collaboration’s future.

    “They’re traveling every week with us, so I think the whole thing is really cool. Hopefully they’re just scratching the surface of where this partnership can go.”

    College GameDay airs Saturdays at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN.

  • Kirk Herbstreit and His Former Gymnast Wife Have Four Sons Thanks to Handstands on the Bed

    Kirk Herbstreit and His Former Gymnast Wife Have Four Sons Thanks to Handstands on the Bed

    Kirk Herbstreit says a bedroom headstand may be the secret to having boys—and he claims the method worked for all four of his children.

    The ESPN commentator shared the unusual story during a recent appearance on Bussin’ With the Boys. His wife, Alison Bulter, a former gymnast, reportedly researched ways to increase the chances of having a boy and tried the method after each of their four children was conceived.

    Herbstreit said the technique involved his wife performing a handstand on the bed after the couple had sex. He explained that the method was based on the idea that male sperm move faster.

    “Well, my wife, to be specific, my wife was a gymnast…,” Herbstreit said: “When we would get done with, when we were done… she heard the male sperm were faster. She would do a handstand, she would go up on the bed, and we’re four-for-four.”

    Herbstreit did not specify how long his wife maintained the position, but the hosts were amused by the claim. While there is no established scientific evidence that a post-intercourse handstand can determine a baby’s sex, the method became four-for-four in Herbstreit’s family.

    For parents hoping to have a boy after having several daughters, Herbstreit’s story offers an unusual—and certainly adventurous—suggestion.

  • Browns Fans Want Dillon Gabriel to Stay, but Todd Monken Appears to Have Other Plans

    Browns Fans Want Dillon Gabriel to Stay, but Todd Monken Appears to Have Other Plans

    The Cleveland Browns may have settled their starting quarterback decision, but Dillon Gabriel gave the team another reason to reconsider how it views the rest of its quarterback room.

    With Deshaun Watson already named the starter, Gabriel delivered Cleveland’s most impressive quarterback performance of the preseason during Thursday’s 37-13 win over the New England Patriots.

    Dillon Gabriel leads five straight scoring drives

    Gabriel completed 12 of 15 passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns in the first half. He led five consecutive scoring drives without throwing an interception, prompting Kirk Herbstreit to make his position clear.

    “There’s no way, see, this was not a one-night Dillon Gabriel thing for me,” Herbstreit said during Amazon Prime’s broadcast. “I’ve seen this kid do exactly what he did tonight almost every start he made in college, whether it was at UCF, Oklahoma or Oregon.”

    He added: “I don’t know how you let him go, personally. There is no way I would let him leave.”

    More than preseason statistics

    Gabriel’s performance stood out because of how effectively Cleveland’s offense operated with him in control. The Browns scored on all five of their first-half possessions, producing three touchdowns and two field goals.

    Gabriel repeatedly put the offense in favorable situations, including a 52-yard completion to Ben Patterson after rolling left out of the pocket. He also connected with Luke Floriea for two touchdowns and found Ahmani Marshall for another score on third-and-goal.

    “What a great half, happy for him,” Monken said. “Guys played well around him. Certainly took advantage of the opportunity.”

    That opportunity came at a significant moment. Watson has already been named Cleveland’s starter, but the decision has drawn scrutiny after Browns fans booed him during the preseason.

    Shedeur Sanders has also received significant public support, making the Browns’ quarterback room one of the most closely watched in the NFL.

    Gabriel’s performance reflects his college career

    The strongest part of Herbstreit’s argument was that Thursday’s performance did not change his opinion of Gabriel. Instead, it reinforced it.

    The broadcaster pointed to what Gabriel showed during his college career at three different programs, arguing that the poise and efficiency displayed against New England were consistent with the quarterback he had already seen.

    Former NFL defensive tackle Breiden Fehoko offered an even stronger assessment.

    “The best quarterback play of the Browns preseason we saw tonight,” Fehoko wrote. “Dillon Gabriel is the guy who got screwed in this QB competition.”

    Whether Monken is interested in reopening the Week 1 decision remains unclear. Gabriel did, however, make one part of the discussion harder to ignore.

    If Cleveland does not view him as the starter right now, the Browns still must determine how highly they value keeping him on the roster.