Fox NCAA Football Announcers: A Comprehensive Overview

The world of college football broadcasting is a dynamic and ever-evolving landscape, with networks vying for the best talent to bring the excitement of the game to viewers. Fox Sports, a major player in college football coverage, boasts a roster of experienced and engaging announcers. This article delves into the world of Fox's NCAA football announcers, exploring their roles, strengths, and the overall impact they have on the viewing experience.

Fox's Commitment to College Football

Fox Sports has a long and storied history with college football. Initial college football broadcasts on the Fox network were limited to selected bowl games, beginning with the Cotton Bowl Classic from 1999 to 2014. In 2012, Fox began to air a regular schedule of Saturday college football games during the regular season. Fox primarily airs coverage of the Big Ten and Big 12 and holds alternating rights to the Big Ten championship game. Since 2020, Fox has aired games from the Mountain West Conference (including Boise State home games, and the Mountain West championship game). Fox also holds rights to the Holiday Bowl.

Fox acquired its first college football telecast in 1998, when it obtained the broadcast rights to the annual Cotton Bowl Classic held each January on (eventually, the day after) New Year's Day; the first game to be shown on the network as part of the deal was held on January 1, 1999. Fox lost the rights to the Cotton Bowl to ESPN for the 2015 edition, as ESPN holds the television contract to all six bowl games that encompass the College Football Playoff system under a twelve-year deal worth over $7.3 billion.

Beginning with the 2012 season, Fox added regular season games on Saturdays to its lineup; it broadcast eight afternoon games and twelve nighttime games throughout the season, with the latter telecasts airing as part of a new strategy by the network to carry more sports programming on Saturday nights during prime time. In August 2022, Fox renewed its rights to the Big Ten under a seven-year deal beginning in the 2023 season. ET, and prime time games respectively. There will be a larger number of games on the Fox broadcast network, and an option to air "premier" Big Ten games in other timeslots after Oregon, USC, UCLA, and Washington move to the conference in 2024.

For the 2024 season, with the departure of WWE SmackDown to USA Network, Fox introduced a second weekly primetime game known as Fox College Football Friday, beginning September 13; the package draws primarily from the Big Ten and Big 12. In May 2024, it was announced that Fox had acquired two Pac-12 football home games involving the conference's remaining members, Oregon State University and Washington State University. Both games aired on Fox.

Key Announcers and Broadcast Teams

Fox employs a variety of announcers, each with their own unique style and expertise. Here are some notable names and teams:

Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt

Gus Johnson, known for his enthusiastic and energetic play-by-play style, is often paired with Joel Klatt, a respected analyst who provides insightful commentary and strategic breakdowns. This duo is considered Fox's top team, both internally and in viewer rankings. However, their broadcasts can be polarizing.

Jason Benetti and Robert Griffin III

Jason Benetti, known for being a pro and making his partner better, is often paired with Robert Griffin III. These comments marked a sharp divide between how readers saw Benetti and Griffin.

Tim Brando and Devin Gardner

Tim Brando and Devin Gardner is one of the most polarizing teams. Most of the commentary here revolved around long-established college football figure Brando.

The Significance of "Big Noon Saturday"

In the 2019 season, Fox introduced a new flagship Noon ET window known as Big Noon Saturday. The games are accompanied by a pre-game show, Big Noon Kickoff. A Fox executive stated that the network's highest-rated games were often those with a Noon kickoff, and that the network also wanted to avoid competition from other highly viewed windows such as the SEC on CBS and ABC's Saturday Night Football.

Read also: Crafting Your NCAA Profile

The new emphasis on early games proved successful: in the first weeks of the 2019 season, Fox had the highest-rated game in the timeslot on multiple occasions. Due to the early kickoff times, the package has faced criticism for having undue impacts on teams not based in the Eastern Time Zone (ET).

Reader Ratings and Perceptions

Announcer teams are often subject to public opinion, and various platforms provide avenues for fans to express their views. A recent survey asked viewers to grade 25 college football broadcast teams across different networks, and the results offer insights into which teams resonate most with audiences.

Notable Rankings and Commentary

The average grade from the survey was a C+, indicating a general level of satisfaction. However, individual teams received a wide range of scores and comments.

Noah Reed and Robert Smith: This new team ranked last in the survey, but some viewers praised Noah Reed as a "rising star."
Jason Garrett and Dan Hicks: While this team showed numerical improvement compared to the previous year, they still received criticism, particularly for Jason Garrett's commentary.
Wes Durham and Steve Addazio: Many viewers criticized Addazio, with comments such as "Addazio sounds like your confused uncle in the booth."
Tim Brando and Devin Gardner: This pairing proved to be polarizing, with some praising Brando's enthusiasm and others criticizing his commentary.
Jeff Levering and Jake Butt: The commentary here was largely in praise of Butt.
Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers, and Cole Cubelic: This group, which has been together, ranked high among the three conference network teams considered.
Jason Benetti and Robert Griffin III: These comments marked a sharp divide between how readers saw Benetti and Griffin.
Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt: The comments here were harsher than the grades, especially for Johnson.
Brock Osweiler and Dave Flemming: In the comments, Flemming drew particular praise. Osweiler drew some positive remarks as well, but several found him just okay and noted that he brought down their grade for the booth.

Broadcaster Lists from Other Networks.

College football announcers for ESPN and ABC

Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Holly Rowe
Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy and Molly McGrath
Joe Tessitore, Jesse Palmer and Katie George
Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek and Taylor McGregor
Mark Jones, Roddy Jones and Quint Kessenich
Bob Wischusen, Louis Riddick and Kris Budden
Dave Flemming, Brock Osweiler and Stormy Buonantony
Tiffany Green and Jay Walker

College football announcers for ACC Network

Steve Addazio, Wes Durham and Dana Boyle

College football announcers for SEC Network

Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers and Cole Cubelic

Additional college football announcers for ESPN networks

Anish Shroff, Andre Ware, Paul Carcaterra
Roy Philpott, Sam Acho and Taylor Davis
Mike Monaco, Kirk Morrison and Dawn Davenport
Taylor Zarzour, Matt Stinchcomb and Alyssa Lang
Jay Alter and Rocky Boiman
Courtney Lyle and Rene Ingoglia
Matt Schumacker and Dustin Fox
Eric Frede and Jack Ford
Matt Barrie, Tom Luginbill and Harry Lyles Jr.
Lowell Galindo, Aaron Murray and Lauren Sisler
Dave Neal, Fozzy Whittaker and Morgan Uber
Chris Cotter, Max Browne and Kendra Douglas
Jorge Sedano, Rodney McLeod and Victoria Arlen
Chuckie Kempf and Darius Walker
Clay Matvick and Chase Daniel

College football announcers for CBS and Paramount+

Play-by-play: Rich Waltz, Chris Lewis, Jordan Kent, Dave Ryan, John Sadak, Alex Del Barrio, Jason Knapp, Fran Charles and Jack Gordon.
Analysts: Robert Turbin, Adam Breneman, Randy Cross, Taylor McHargue, Patrick Peterson, Logan Ryan and Kyle Long.
Reporters: Brandon Baylor, Tiffany Blackmon, Jordan Giorgio, Tina Cervasio, Hailey Sutton, Brandon Marcello, Richard Johnson and Lauren Green.

College football announcers for NBC and Peacock

Noah Eagle, Todd Blackledge and Kathryn Tappen
Dan Hicks, Jason Garrett and Zora Stephenson
Additional play-by-play: Paul Burmeister and Michael Grady
Additional analysts: Chris Simms, Michael Robinson, Yogi Roth and Phil Simms
Additional reporters: Caroline Pineda

College football announcers for Big Ten Network

Play-by-play: Jeff Levering, Guy Haberman, Mark Followill, Jason Horowitz, Jason Ross Jr., Joe Beninati, A.J. Kanell and Jack Kizer.
Analysts: Jake Butt, Yogi Roth, Anthony Herron, Matt Millen, Brock Vereen, Marcel Reese, Tanner Morgan and Jared Thomas.
Reporters: Brooke Fletcher, Rhett Lewis, Dannie Rogers, Sydney Supple, Melanie Ricks, Michella Chester, Drea Avent, Kylen Mills, Alyssa Charlston and Caroline Hendershot.

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