Kirk Herbstreit Urges Programs to Build Teams, Not Chase Five‑Stars
He framed culture as the decisive edge in today’s NIL–portal era.
Overview
- Kirk Herbstreit delivered an on-air plea on ESPN to prioritize cohesion over star-chasing, using recent playoff teams as evidence that chemistry wins.
- He warned that agent involvement and portal demands are disrupting roster building, citing coaches’ accounts of agents guiding players via Zoom.
- Pointing to Indiana, Miami and Ole Miss, he argued successful rosters blended transfers who bought into a shared mission rather than headline talent alone.
- Chris Fowler underscored the point by noting Miami’s many multi-school players and the importance of selecting transfers who fit the locker room.
- Awful Announcing tied the comments to SportsCenter after Miami’s Fiesta Bowl win over Ole Miss, while The Mirror described a different opponent, though both agreed on Herbstreit’s core message.