Herrnstein attended the University of Michigan where he was a star athlete in both baseball and football. In football, he played fullback on offense and linebacker on defense from 1956 to 1958. As a sophomore, he rushed for 88 yards and a touchdown in his third game against Army and scored three touchdowns in his fourth game against Northwestern. He was the starting fullback on the 1956 Michigan Wolverines football team that finished with a 7–2 record and a #7 ranking in both the Associated Press and United Press International polls. He rushed for 475 net yards on 123 carries, scored seven touchdowns and tied with Terry Barr as Michigan\'s leading scorer in 1956.\n', '

In a preview of the 1957 season, The Sporting News called Herrnstein "Michigan\'s Big Gun" and a "pounding fullback." During the 1957 football season, an injury to his left foot slowed Herrnstein. He had played 442 minutes as a sophomore, but was limited to 179 minutes in 1957. In December 1957, he was elected by his teammates as the captain of the 1958 Michigan Wolverines football team.\n', '

In the 1958 season opener, Herrnstein rushed for a career-high 144 yards and scored two touchdowns against the USC Trojans. However, in the second game, he sustained a hand injury in the first quarter and was sidelined for the rest of the game. In the first quarter of the season\'s third game, a 20–14 loss to Navy, Herrnstein injured his left knee. He later recounted the play: "I was the linebacker and a Navy blocker hit me from nowhere. That was the third game of the year, but the last one for me. The ligaments in my knee were torn up pretty bad." The knee injury sidelined Herrnstein for the remainder of the 1958 season and ended his football career.\n', '

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