The Voices of the Game: A Comprehensive Look at College Football Announcers

College football broadcasts are brought to life by the voices that narrate the action, providing insight, analysis, and excitement to the viewing experience. This article explores the landscape of college football announcers, examining the various broadcast teams, their strengths and weaknesses, and their impact on the overall viewing experience.

The All-Star Announcer Lineups

Networks like ESPN, Fox, and CBS assemble teams of experienced commentators to cover college football games. These teams typically consist of a play-by-play announcer, who describes the action on the field; an analyst, who provides expert commentary and insights; and a sideline reporter, who gathers information from the teams and coaches.

ESPN's Premier Teams:

ESPN continues its industry-leading college football coverage with familiar faces and veteran commentator teams. Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, and reporter Holly Rowe will team up again to call marquee matchups on ABC and ESPN. The 2025 season marks Fowler and Herbstreit’s 12th year in the booth and their 30th season as college football teammates, beginning in 1996 on College GameDay. Fowler, a 2024 Sports Emmy nominee, and Herbstreit, the five-time Sports Emmy winner, have called all 11 College Football Playoff National Championship games together.

Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy, and Molly McGrath are pairing up for the third consecutive year. The Alabama National Champion quarterback enters his 10th season calling games for ESPN and ABC. One of the sport’s leading analysts, McElroy also has studio experience on ESPN and SEC Network, in addition to hosting ESPN and Omaha Productions’ Always College Football podcast. McDonough, one of the most accomplished broadcasters of his generation, returns to his regular ABC/ESPN rotation for the seventh straight year in addition to serving as ESPN’s lead NHL play-by-play voice.

The trio of veteran play-by-play voice Joe Tessitore, longtime ESPN analyst Jesse Palmer, and intrepid sideline reporter Katie George will team together for the third straight season. Palmer enters his 18th season at ESPN, previously working in both game and studio analyst roles across ESPN networks. He’s also a consistent face on ABC as host of the popular Bachelor franchise. For the better part of two decades, Tessitore has been among the premier broadcasters 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 a commentator for WWE. George, a versatile reporter who has covered multiple sports and events for ESPN and ABC - including the NBA, UFL, F1, NCAA Volleyball and more, returns for her seventh year on the sidelines across ESPN networks.

Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek, and Taylor McGregor will call games as a trio for the second year, with Pasch and Dvoracek in the booth together for the fifth consecutive season. A versatile football and basketball play-by-play voice - who also calls Arizona Cardinals NFL games, Pasch celebrated his 20th year at ESPN last season. A two-time Oklahoma Sooner captain and former NFL Draft pick, Dvoracek also contributes to College Football Live, SportsCenter, and various SEC Network programming. McGregor has been part of ESPN’s college football team since 2019 and is also a commentator and host for Chicago Cubs broadcasts.

Mark Jones, Roddy Jones, and Quint Kessenich are paired up for the second straight season. Mark Jones has served as a college football commentator and leading NBA play-by-play voice for more than three decades, celebrating his 35th year at ESPN in 2025. Roddy Jones has been with ESPN since 2017, first as a sideline reporter and then as an analyst on both ACC Network and ESPN.

Bob Wischusen, Louis Riddick, and Kris Budden will once again team up on ABC and ESPN. Wischusen, a college football, basketball, golf, and NHL voice for ESPN, is also the New York Jets radio voice. Riddick, who is synonymous with ESPN’s NFL game, studio, and NFL Draft coverage, readies for his fifth college football campaign and will continue to call select Monday Night Football games. Budden is a regular on ABC and ESPN covering college football, basketball, and is the lead sideline reporter for the Men’s College World Series, in addition to adding grand slam tennis reporting since 2024 and the Little League Softball World Series in 2025.

Dave Flemming, Brock Osweiler, and Stormy Buonantony link up for the second consecutive year. Flemming, who celebrates his 15th year at ESPN in 2025, brings more than a decade of experience calling college football, basketball, Major League Baseball, and golf. Osweiler, a former NFL quarterback and Super Bowl 50 champion with the Denver Broncos, joined ESPN in 2022 following his seven-year professional career and record-setting tenure at Arizona State. Buonantony enters her fourth season with ESPN and has added UFL and NHL responsibilities to her repertoire.

Tiffany Greene and Jay Walker team up each week in the booth on ESPN’s HBCU spotlights, along with the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kick-Off and the Cricket Celebration Bowl on ABC. The duo has been paired up since 2018, when Greene became the first Black woman to serve as a play-by-play commentator in college football.

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ESPN strengthened its college football roster by signing multiple on-air personalities to new or extended contracts during the offseason. Marc Kestecher, the lead voice for the NBA on ESPN Radio, continues as the top college football play-by-play commentator this season, joined by veterans Kelly Stouffer (analyst), the former NFL and Colorado State quarterback, and Ian Fitzsimmons (reporter).

The top Spanish language booth of play-by-play commentator Eduardo Varela, analyst Pablo Viruega and reporters Ciro Procuna and Carlos Nava return to ESPN Deportes for the 2025-26 season.

Grading the Announcers: A Fan Perspective

Awful Announcing conducted a poll where readers graded 25 college football broadcast teams, receiving over 18,500 responses. The average grade was a C+ (2.46). Here's a look at some of the teams and their rankings:

Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt: Fox's top team received mostly As (211 of 702 votes) and Bs (207), but also garnered the highest number of Fs (77), showing that they remain polarizing.
Jason Benetti and Robert Griffin III: This team sparked a sharp divide, with readers praising Benetti but criticizing Griffin. Some comments included "RGIII really brings the grade down" and "Benetti is great, Robert is annoying."

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Jordan Rodgers and Tom Hart: This group earned 110 As (10th-most) out of 572 votes and was ranked highly, with comments like "Knowledgeable and enjoyable" and "They should be doing better games."
Dave Flemming and Brock Osweiler: This team received only 68 As on 604 votes but pulled in 292 Bs and only drew 12 Fs. Flemming drew particular praise, while Osweiler received mixed reviews.
Joe Tessitore and Jesse Palmer: This pairing saw the second biggest slot-over-slot jump in this year’s poll.
Tim Brando and Devin Gardner: One of the most polarizing teams, drawing the second-highest total of Fs.
Wes Durham and Steve Addazio: Many comments were critical of Addazio, which may explain a year-over-year drop for Durham. Some comments included “Durham would get an A, but it’s Addazio” and “Addazio sounds like your confused uncle in the booth.”
Jason Garrett and Dan Hicks: Hicks and Garrett were 23rd last year with a 1.87, so this is actually a numerical improvement for them if not one in rank. Still, this team drew 54 Fs (the fourth-highest raw total) of 606 votes. The comments here generally revolved around a theme expressed by one respondent as “Hicks is fine. Garrett isn’t.”
Noah Reed and Robert Smith: This team is a new addition to these rankings and is new this year. Reed is a newer voice but has been doing play-by-play for Fox, NBC, and ESPN over the past several years.

Individual Announcers: Strengths and Weaknesses

Play-by-Play Announcers:

Chris Fowler: A seasoned veteran known for his smooth delivery and insightful commentary.
Sean McDonough: One of the most accomplished broadcasters of his generation.
Joe Tessitore: A premier broadcaster for ESPN and ABC's coverage of college football.
Dave Flemming: Brings more than a decade of experience calling college football, basketball, Major League Baseball, and golf.
Gus Johnson: Known for his enthusiastic and energetic style, but can be polarizing.
Mark Jones: Praised for his long history with the sport and way with words.
Anish Shroff: Gaining recognition and praise for his commentary.
Matt Barrie: Received criticism for being an overbearing know-it-all, but some appreciate him.
Thom Brennaman: Some respondents cited Brennaman’s 2020 homophobic slur on a hot mic as a reason not to rank him higher.

Analysts:

Kirk Herbstreit: A five-time Sports Emmy winner and highly respected analyst.
Greg McElroy: One of the sport’s leading analysts with studio experience.
Jesse Palmer: A longtime ESPN analyst with experience in both game and studio roles.
Dusty Dvoracek: A two-time Oklahoma Sooner captain and former NFL Draft pick.
Louis Riddick: Synonymous with ESPN’s NFL game, studio, and NFL Draft coverage.
Joel Klatt: A top analyst for Fox, providing insightful commentary.
Robert Griffin III: Received mixed reviews, with some criticizing his style.
Steve Addazio: The biggest battles include Steve against the English language. He’s tough to listen to.
Jake Butt: Gaining praise for his commentary and insights
Devin Gardner: Brando = A, Gardner pulls him down with C-.

Sideline Reporters:

Holly Rowe: A seasoned reporter known for her insightful interviews and sideline presence.
Molly McGrath: Pairing up for the third consecutive year.
Katie George: A versatile reporter who has covered multiple sports and events for ESPN and ABC.
Kris Budden: A regular on ABC and ESPN covering college football and basketball.
Stormy Buonantony: Enters her fourth season with ESPN and has added UFL and NHL responsibilities to her repertoire.

The Broader Context: Networks and Coverage

ESPN offers its full suite of 12 networks and services directly to fans within an enhanced ESPN App that integrates game stats, ESPN BET information, ESPN Fantasy sports, commerce, multiview options, a synchronized two-screen experience, a vertical video feature called Verts and a personalized SportsCenter For You. Designed to give fans more choice, flexibility and access to all of ESPN, these new features and functionality are available to all fans who watch on the ESPN App on mobile and connected TV devices, whether they subscribe directly or through a traditional pay TV package.

The Evolution of College Football Broadcasting

The landscape of college football broadcasting has evolved significantly over the years. In the early days, AM radio was dominated by news, play-by-play, and pre/post-game shows. Lindsey Nelson, known for his colorful sports jackets, was a prominent play-by-play announcer for MLB games on NBC in the 1950s and 1960s.

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