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Kirk Herbstreit found himself in hot water with the college football world after some pretty serious accusations were thrown his way. Those allegations revolved around his potential influence in a top prospect’s commitment decision.
That player was five-star passer Dylan Raiola, whose recruitment was a complete roller coaster ride. The quarterback flipped his pledge not once, but twice throughout the process, eventually landing on his father’s alma mater.
As a junior, Raiola committed to Ohio State. That lasted about year before he switched to Kirby Smart’s Georgia program. Expected to become the headliner in the Bulldogs’ No. 1 class, his mind changed yet again just days before signing.
Having second thoughts, Nebraska became a major player late in his recruitment. The program his father played for, and his uncle currently coaches for, Raiola eventually spurned the ‘Dawgs to join Matt Rhule’s program in December.
Most drummed up the change of heart to family ties, but earlier this month, Kirk Herbstreit’s name entered the conversation.
@247.huskers Kirk Herbstreit 🤝 All of Nebraska #GBR #nebraskafootball #huskers #nebraska #football ♬ Suspenseful and tense orchestra(1318015) – SoLaTiDo
“I’ll bring up one guy’s name – Kirk Herbstreit,” Dylan Raiola’s dad said while discussing his son’s recruitment. “When he saw the smoke about Dylan entertaining Nebraska, he called me and was like, ‘Is this true?’
“‘He’s got to do it!’… When Kirk said this, I was like, ‘Man… this place is special.”
Did Herbstreit influence Raiola’s decision? The College GameDay host doesn’t believe so.
Kirk Herbstreit responded to the claims on the Paul Finebaum Show.
Kirk Herbstreit gives his take on the phone call he had with Dylan Raiola’s dad before the QB recruit flipped his commitment from Georgia to Nebraska pic.twitter.com/W7fWbSrKHq
— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) February 8, 2024
Herbie seemed a bit defensive in his response, which is expected with so many now questioning his integrity as an unbiased college football personality.
“If somebody calls me and says, ‘What do you think of Matt Rhule?’ and you like Matt Rhule, are you supposed to say Matt Rhule is a bad guy? Matt Rhule is an idiot? Matt Rhule is a bad coach? Or do you say ‘I like Matt Rhule. I think Matt Rhule is a good coach?'”
There’s already a bit of he said, she said given both parties state that the other reached out to start the conversation. He then recalled reflecting on his own recruitment with Ohio State when lending advice.
“I think the family legacy – I think he mentioned he had a brother that was an assistant coach at Nebraska, and of course Dom was a great player there himself. It sounded like the family, they were really torn. I just thought, as a guy that went to Ohio State and a lot of that had to do with my dad, I just said that your son can go to any school, any powerhouse and because of his respect for his own dad, he’s thinking about going to Nebraska?… That’s a powerful thing if he ended up doing that.”
Raiola did end up doing that, inking his letter of intent with the Cornhuskers in the early signing period. Still, Herbstreit proclaims his innocence in the situation, denying any impact on the quarterback’s decision.
“Of course, I did not try to sell Nebraska and try to tell anybody not to go to Georgia. That’s the most ridiculous thing that anybody would try to do. But I did compliment Matt Rhule. If I’m guilty of anything, I said that Matt Rhule is a good coach and he’s a good man.”
Big Ten bias? Georgia fans certainly believe he had motive to steer Raiola away from Athens.
Herbstreit continues to be a lightning rod for controversy as he riles the feathers of top programs around the country. Georgia has now added the analyst to their list of enemies, joining Florida State – who believes he used his status to influence the decision of the College Football Playoff committee.
Not the best look!