ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit was overcome after his alma mater Ohio State won the national championship. On air after the 34-23 win by the Buckeyes over Notre Dame, the 55-year-old broadcaster attributed the need to reach for a tissue to his close ties to the team — but in a guest spot on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday,

Kirk Herbstreit makes a lot of money to call football games. The long-time broadcaster is estimated to make somewhere between $14-18 million per year between his duties calling college football games for ESPN and NFL games on Amazon on Thursday Night Football.

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.

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

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.

Look: ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit reveals why he got emotional on Sports Center following Ohio State football's national championship:

Kirk Herbstreit was emotional following Ohio State’s win over Notre Dame in the national title game, and on Tuesday he revealed he had more than the game on his mind. While appearing on Pat McAfee’s show on ESPN,

Kirk Herbstreit was emotional during ESPN's postgame, but insisted, "When I call these games I'm incredibly objective."