Kirk Herbstreit Names Sleeper Contender to Make College Football Playoff

Social media influencers have increasingly attended big sports events, especially college football, over the past few years. At LSU's home opener against Clemson, head coach Lane Kiffin was accompanied by "seven or eight super high-level influencers," as noted by College GameDay co-host Kirk Herbstreit. These influencers, which included former LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne, Brooks Nader, and comedian Theo Von, were already waiting for Kiffin, who walked onto the field with a group of content creators.

Their job was to energize the crowd, gather footage for their content, and for LSU football. Herbstreit's reaction was largely positive, as he recognizes the importance of content creation in the current digital age. College GameDay dedicated cameos to these influencers, attributing their presence to the need to stay relevant and connect with younger fans.

LSU's social media presence soared following the game, with 4.8 million more video views and 650,000 more engagements than the next closest schools. This trend of incorporating influencers into collegiate athletics is not limited to LSU and is becoming increasingly common across the nation. While Herbstreit acknowledges that Kiffin and LSU have a more show-like approach, he believes it's not an outlier.

Many collegiate athletic programs have been investing in content creation resources and turning to external creators to expand their reach. However, Herbstreit remains unconcerned about these changes affecting his own sports media career, stating that he embraces learning and understanding the world of content creation.