Behind the Mic: ESPN Rolls Out Broadcasting Teams for Week 1 of College Football Season; CBS Reveals Names of NFL On-Air Talent

Behind the Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, including new deals, departures, and assignments compiled from press releases and reports around the industry. In this week’s edition, ESPN kicks off college football coverage with dynamic commentator teams in Week 1, CBS Sports unveils NFL on CBS announcer lineup, and more.

ESPN Kicks Off College Football Week 1 Coverage With Dynamic Commentator Teams

ESPN will kick off its coverage of the 2021-22 college football season in Week 1 with nearly 60 games, including the highly-anticipated non-conference matchups in the Duke’s Mayo Classic in Charlotte – No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 3 Clemson – and Chick-fil-A Kickoff in Atlanta – No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 14 Miami. The opening weekend slate features games on six consecutive nights (Sept. 1-6) and culminates with primetime showdowns Sunday on ABC (No. 9 Notre Dame at Florida State) and on the traditional Labor Day Monday on ESPN (Louisville vs. Ole Miss).

In all, four of the top-five teams and nine of the top 10 in the 2021 AP preseason rankings will be in action across ESPN platforms during week 1.

ESPN’s week 1 schedule features teams from all 10 FBS conferences and games are set for a total of 10 ESPN platforms – ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC Network, ACC Network, Big 12 Now on ESPN+, ESPN3, ESPN+, SEC Network+ (SECN+) and ESPN Radio.

With the start of the new season, ESPN’s unmatched roster of commentators will feature a mix of familiar faces, new assignments, a host of newcomers and the return of many veteran voices.

Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, and reporter Holly Rowe will team up to call the weekly ABC Saturday Night Football presented by Capital One marquee matchup, beginning with one of the most-anticipated games of the season – the top-five showdown between Georgia and Clemson in the Duke’s Mayo Classic in Charlotte.

The 2021 season marks Fowler and Herbstreit’s eighth year in the SNF booth and their 26th season as college football teammates, having worked together since 1996 on College GameDay. Fowler and Herbstreit have called every College Football Playoff National Championship. Rowe joins the team following the recent announcement of her move to the SNF crew, as she kicks off her 26th season covering college football for ESPN and ABC.

Sean McDonough, Todd Blackledge, field analyst Todd McShay, and reporter Molly McGrath will open the season with defending College Football Playoff National Champion and preseason No. 1 Alabama against No. 14 Miami in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff in Atlanta.

McDonough and Blackledge will work together for the third year, joined for a second season by McShay and McGrath, who is back on the sidelines after taking maternity leave at the end of 2020. McDonough – also a leading voice in ESPN’s NHL coverage this fall – and Blackledge combine for more than four decades of broadcast experience, while McShay continues to serve as one of ESPN’s NFL Draft experts and McGrath covers a multitude of college sports across ESPN networks as both a reporter and host.

Joe Tessitore, Greg McElroy, and Katie George will open the season in Tallahassee for a Sunday primetime matchup on ABC that is steeped in tradition – No. 9 Notre Dame at Florida State.

This will be the second straight season that longtime ESPN play-by-play voice Tessitore and former Alabama National Champion quarterback McElroy are partnering in the ABC and ESPN booth. For the better part of two decades, Tessitore has been a premier broadcaster for ESPN and ABC’s coverage of college football, as well as the veteran blow-by-blow ringside commentator for Top Rank Boxing on ESPN and the co-host of Holey Moley on ABC. McElroy is beginning his sixth season calling games for ESPN and has studio experience on ESPN and SEC Network as well. This fall, George moves to ABC and ESPN games following her first two seasons on ACC Network Primetime.

Notable ESPN and ABC games on Saturday, Sept. 4:

• ESPN Events’ Texas Kickoff: Texas Tech vs. Houston (7 p.m., ESPN): ESPN newcomer and Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III joins ESPN mainstays Mark Jones and Quint Kessenich this season. Jones completed his 30th year with ESPN last fall, serving as a college football commentator as well as one of the company’s leading NBA play-by-play voices.
• Western Michigan vs. Michigan (Noon, ESPN): Bob Wischusen and Dan Orlovsky are back together for a third season, joined in Ann Arbor by Kris Budden. Wischusen, a college football, basketball and NHL voice for ESPN, is also the New York Jets radio voice. In addition to calling college games, Orlovsky continues to appear across a number of ESPN shows, including as a lead analyst on NFL Live. Budden has been a regular on ABC and ESPN coverage since moving over from SEC Network following the 2018 season.
• No. 2 Oklahoma vs. Tulane (Noon, ABC): Dave Pasch and Dusty Dvoracek will call games together for the first time this fall, beginning with the Sooners-Green Wave matchup. A versatile football and basketball play-by-play voice – who also calls Arizona Cardinals NFL games, Pasch joined ESPN in 2003. A two-time Oklahoma captain and former NFL Draft pick, Dvoracek continues to expand his ESPN role. Veteran field analyst Tom Luginbill, who has been with ESPN for more than 15 years and previously worked with Pasch, will join the duo.
• ESPN Events’ Vegas Kickoff Classic: BYU vs. Arizona (10:30 p.m., ESPN): Dave Flemming and Rod Gilmore are teaming up on ESPN and ABC this fall, with Flemming continuing his play-by-play commentary for college football, basketball, baseball and MLB, and Gilmore kicking off his 25th season of ESPN college football analysis. The two will be joined by reporter Stormy Buonantony for the first ESPN Events game at the Las Vegas Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium.

Weekday primetime games in Week 1:

• ESPN Events’ Montgomery Kickoff: UAB vs. Jacksonville State (Wed, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN): Week 1 of the college football season kicks off with a rare Wednesday primetime game on ESPN as UAB faces Jacksonville State in the first of two ESPN Events kickoff games in Montgomery, AL. Roy Philpott, Kelly Stouffer, and reporter Lauren Sisler have the call from the Cramton Bowl.
• Boise State vs. UCF (Thurs, 7 p.m. on ESPN): ESPN’s new Thursday night team of Matt Barrie, analyst Roddy Jones, and reporter Harry Lyles Jr. will debut. Jones will build upon his ACC Network role while Lyles Jr. adds college football sideline reporting to his expanding repertoire after joining ESPN.com as a staff writer last year reporting on both college football and on the intersection of culture and college sports.
• No. 10 North Carolina vs. Virginia Tech (Fri, 6 p.m. on ESPN): Jason Benetti, Andre Ware, and Paul Carcaterra open their season-long Friday schedule in Blacksburg with a key matchup of ACC Coastal contenders.
• Michigan State vs. Northwestern (Fri, 9 p.m. on ESPN): Beth Mowins and Kirk Morrison return to the booth for a second season together, joined by Dawn Davenport, who moves from her previous SEC Network assignment.

College Networks:

• SEC Network returns its SEC Saturday Night trio of Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers, and Cole Cubelic, who will call a pair of week 1 games – Bowling Green vs. Tennessee (Thursday, 8 p.m.) and Florida Atlantic vs. No. 13 Florida (Saturday, 7:30 p.m.)
• ACC Network’s primetime team has a new look with Dave O’Brien, Tim Hasselbeck, and Kelsey Riggs, who moves from the afternoons to evenings this fall. The trio will call South Florida vs. N.C. State (Thursday, 7:30 p.m.) and Northern Illinois vs. Georgia Tech (Saturday, 7:30 p.m.) (ESPN)

CBS Sports Unveils NFL on CBS Announcer Lineup

Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, and Tracy Wolfson once again lead the NFL on CBS’ announce team in their fifth year together as they call CBS’ marquee game each week, as well as many of the best games of the 2021 NFL season, the AFC Playoffs and AFC Championship Game.

Highlighting the changes in this year’s NFL ON CBS announce teams are Adam Archuleta and AJ Ross joining Greg Gumbel as analyst and reporter, respectively; Jay Feely teaming with Spero Dedes and Tiki Barber pairing with Tom McCarthy.

The strength and depth of the NFL on CBS announce team is further evident this season as Ian Eagle, Charles Davis, and reporter Evan Washburn return for their second season together as the No. 2 team. Kevin Harlan again pairs with Trent Green and reporter Melanie Collins; Andrew Catalon and James Lofton are back together this season and Mowins will call select games during the season.

In addition to Wolfson, Washburn, Collins, and Ross, additional sideline reporters including Sherree Burruss and Amanda Balionis will be used throughout the season.

The NFL Today returns with host James Brown alongside Boomer Esiason, Bill Cowher, Phil Simms, and Emmy Award-winner Nate Burleson for their fifth season together. Gene Steratore again serves as NFL Rules Analyst and Jason La Canfora continues to serve as “NFL Insider.”

Jim Rikhoff is the lead game producer for the NFL on CBS, and Michael Arnold is the lead game director. Drew Kaliski is the producer for The NFL Today, while Bob Matina directs.

The following are the NFL on CBS assignments for Weeks 1-2

WEEK 1 – Sept. 12 – CBS Doubleheader

• 1 p.m. ET
  • Jets @ Carolina (1 p.m. ET)
    • Catalon/Lofton/Burruss
  • Jacksonville @ Houston
    • Gumbel/Archuleta/Ross
  • Pittsburgh @ Buffalo
    • Eagle/Davis/Washburn
  • Arizona @ Tennessee
    • McCarthy/Barber
  • Chargers@ Washington
    • Dedes/Feely
• 4:25 p.m. ET
  • Cleveland @ Kansas City
    • Nantz/Romo/Wolfson
  • Miami @ New England
    • Harlan/Green/Collins

WEEK 2 – Sept. 19 – CBS Doubleheader

• 1 p.m. ET
  • Houston @ Cleveland
    • Gumbel/Archuleta/Ross
  • Las Vegas @ Pittsburgh
    • Eagle/Davis/Washburn
  • Denver @ Jacksonville
    • Dedes/Feely
  • New England @ Jets
    • Harlan/Green/Collins
• 4:25 p.m. ET
  • Dallas @ Chargers
    • Nantz/Romo/Wolfson
  • Tennessee @ Seattle
    • Catalon/Lofton/Burruss (CBS Sports)

CBS Sports Names Matteo Bonetti as Lead Serie A Analyst, Andres Cordero as Lead Play-By-Play Announcer on Paramount+, CBS Sports Network

Matteo Bonetti will serve as CBS Sports’ lead Serie A analyst and match commentator, providing both studio and match analysis throughout the season, while Andres Cordero will serve as lead play-by-play announcer for coverage across CBS Sports Network and Paramount+. Bonetti and Cordero will call matches on a weekly basis beginning Sunday, Sept. 12.

Bonetti, Jo Ankier, Marco Messina, and Fabrizio Romano will contribute to CBS Sports HQ’s pregame, halftime and postgame studio coverage from Stamford, CT. through Weeks 1 and 2, starting on Saturday, August 21.

Additional details on CBS Sports’ Serie A announcer lineup and schedule will be revealed at a later date, with CBS Sports’ full Serie A studio coverage from New York beginning on Sunday, Sept. 12, airing on CBS Sports Network and streaming on Paramount+.

Bonetti joins CBS Sports from ESPN where he served as a soccer commentator and analyst for international soccer leagues and marquee international tournaments since 2018. He has also contributed to soccer coverage on ESPN.com and ESPN FC, in addition to working as an announcer for beIN Sport and TNT. This will be Bonetti’s 10th season covering Serie A. Born in Milan, Italy and raised in Miami, FL, Bonetti is a bilingual Italian-American.

Cordero has called play-by-play for international competitions at the highest levels of the game, including La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1, Copa Libertadores, World Cup Qualifiers and Africa Cup of Nations. He is currently the play-by-play voice of Major League Soccer Club Inter Miami CF and is also a member of CBS Sports’ Concacaf coverage.

Ankier is a sports reporter and anchor from London. She has contributed to networks and organizations including ESPN, BT Sport, Premier League, The Tennis Channel, Fox Sports, TRT World News, Chelsea FC TV, Liverpool FC TV, Major League Soccer and European Athletics.

Messina is a sports personality and soccer analyst from Brooklyn, N.Y. He is the founder of Italian Football TV, a digital platform with Serie A highlights and analysis.

Romano is an Italian journalist and CBS Sports’ Soccer Insider, acting as the leading journalist in the world specializing in global football transfers. Romano currently is a journalist for Sky Sports Italy and a reporter for The Guardian. He is based in Milan.

Through the first two weeks of Serie A action, CBS Sports HQ’s pre-match coverage will begin 30 minutes before each match of the day with coverage continuing through the conclusion of the day’s action. Coverage will be available on Paramount+, as well as CBS Sports Network on select days. Click here to view the Serie A schedule through August. (CBS Sports)

Atlanta Braves’ Mike Soroka Serves as Guest Analyst on Bally Sports South

Atlanta Braves pitcher Mike Soroka was the guest analyst on Bally Sports South for the first game of the series between the Braves and the New York Yankees on Monday, August 23.

Soroka, who is on the 60-day injured list while recovering from Achilles surgery, was joined by play-by-play announcer Chip Caray, analyst Jeff Francoeur, and reporter Kelly Crull.

In three seasons with the Braves, Soroka has a career 2.86 ERA with 214 innings pitched. He has accumulated 15 wins and six losses in 37 starts with 171 strikeouts. Soroka was drafted by the Braves in the first round of the 2015 MLB Draft and made his MLB debut on May 1, 2018 against the New York Mets. (Bally Sports)

ESPN Signs Pro Bowl Quarterback Alex Smith

ESPN has signed three-time Pro Bowler and 16-year NFL quarterback Alex Smith, as the former first overall NFL draft pick transitions from the playing field to an analyst. In the first year of his post-playing career, Smith will appear on multiple shows and in various roles, mainly surrounding NFL programming, including SportsCenter. Smith will have a role on Monday Night Countdown on select weeks and add contributions to Sunday NFL Countdown from time-to-time. The widely-respected veteran will also be part of ESPN’s coverage of key tent pole events, such as Super Bowl LVI and the 2022 NFL Draft. Additional roles may be explored.

Smith retired from the NFL in April of this year, concluding a 16-year career which began as the No. 1 overall draft pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 2005. The California-native passed for more than 35,000 yards, threw nearly 200 touchdowns and appeared in more than 175 games, including five seasons with Kansas City (2013-17) and three with Washington (2018-20) following eight with the 49ers (2005-12). He earned Pro Bowl honors in 2013, ’16 and ’17.

Smith gained respect from fans near and far as the NFL world collectively followed his comeback from a severely broken leg, sustained in the 2018 season. His story about the injury was documented in a special edition of ESPN’s E60, Project 11 in May 2020, including his battles with post-operative infection, how doctors and Smith’s family had to make life-changing decisions, and his intense recovery and rehabilitation.

Smith would complete his comeback in October of the 2020 season, as he returned to the playing field. Smith would go on to appear in eight games in 2020 and start six games earning a 5-1 record. His perseverance and success earned him the NFL Comeback Player of the Year honor. E60 would run an additional episode on his story, documenting his comeback, shortly after his retirement. (ESPN)