ESPN unveils 2026-27 college football commentator teams

· Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Holly Rowe return for sixth straight season

· Sean McDonough and Greg McElroy now joined by Katie George; Kris Budden teams up with Joe Tessitore and Jesse Palmer

· ESPN CFB newcomers include rules analyst Steve Shaw and sideline reporters Madison Fitzpatrick, Madison Hock and Michella Chester

ESPN's award-winning and industry-leading coverage of college football returns for the 2026-27 season with the sport's deepest roster of on-air personalities. The expansive lineup brings together many of the game's most respected voices alongside rising stars, delivering unmatched insight and storytelling from Week 0 in August through the College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T in Las Vegas in January 2027.

Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and reporter Holly Rowe will again serve as the lead team on ABC and ESPN. The 2026-27 season marks Fowler and Herbstreit's 13th year in the booth and their 30th year 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 12 College Football Playoff National Championship games together. Rowe, a 2023 Sports Emmy winner, joined the team in 2021 and is in her 31st year on the college football sidelines for ESPN and ABC, as well as the lead reporter for ESPN's coverage of women's college basketball, the WNBA, college softball and AUSL.

Steve Shaw joins ESPN as a college football rules analyst on the lead ABC crew following a distinguished career in officiating and football administration. He most recently served as the NCAA's secretary-rules editor for football and national coordinator of officials, after previously overseeing football officiating for the SEC and Sun Belt Conference. Shaw also spent 22 years as an on-field official, including assignments to two BCS National Championship Games and numerous major bowl games.

Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy and Katie George are pairing up for their first season as a broadcast team. McDonough and McElroy begin their fourth season together, with McDonough coming off his win for NSMA National Sportscaster of the Year. McDonough, one of the most accomplished broadcasters of his generation, returns to his regular ABC/ESPN rotation for the eighth consecutive year in addition to serving as ESPN's lead NHL play-by-play voice. The Alabama National Champion quarterback enters his 11th season calling games for ESPN and ABC. One of the sport's leading analysts, McElroy is a regular on College Football Live and the College Football Playoff Top 25, in addition to hosting ESPN and Omaha Productions' Always College Football podcast. George, the 2026 Sports Emmy winner for Outstanding Sports Personality - Emerging On-Air Talent, is 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 eighth year on the sidelines across ESPN networks.

The trio of veteran play-by-play voice Joe Tessitore, longtime ESPN analyst Jesse Palmer and seasoned sideline reporter Kris Budden will team together for the first time this season, with Tessitore and Palmer pairing for the fourth straight season. Palmer enters his 19th season at ESPN, having worked both game and studio analyst roles across ESPN networks. He's also a consistent face on ABC as host of The 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 a commentator for WWE. Budden is a regular on ABC and ESPN, serving as the lead reporter on men's college basketball, and 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. Budden has also called multiple College Football Playoff National Championships on ESPN Radio and is a regular voice for college sports studio programming on Sirius XM.

Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek and Taylor McGregor will call games as a trio for the third year, with Pasch and Dvoracek in the booth together for the sixth consecutive season. A versatile football and basketball play-by-play voice, Pasch recently reupped with a new contract with an expanded and exclusive role with ESPN on college football, NFL and NBA. 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. She joined ESPN in Omaha as a reporter for the 2026 Men's College World Series and is a regular sideline reporter on ESPN and ABC's NBA coverage.

Tom Hart, Roddy Jones and Quint Kessenich are paired up for the first season together. Hart is a longtime play-by-play voice on ESPN and SEC Network, having just finished a decade on SEC Network's SEC Saturday Night primetime games. Jones has been with ESPN since 2017, first as a sideline reporter and then as an analyst on both ACC Network and ESPN. Veteran reporter Kessenich is one of ESPN's top lacrosse voices as an analyst and reporter on multiple NCAA Championship events and contributes weekly to ESPN's coverage of the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL).

Bob Wischusen, Louis Riddick and Stormy Buonantony will team up together for the first time as a trio 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 coverage, readies for his sixth college football campaign. Buonantony enters her fifth college football season with ESPN in addition to her UFL and NHL responsibilities. An Emmy Award-winning journalist, Buonantony also serves as a host on VSiN, The Sports Betting Network, in Las Vegas.

Roy Philpott, Brock Osweiler and Sherree Burruss will partner up for the 2026-27 season. Philpott, a longtime ESPN play-by-play voice, moves to a new crew to kick off his 14th season calling football on ESPN. 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. Burruss returns to ESPN college football coverage full-time, having started on ACC Network in 2023.

Lead ESPN Weekday Primetime, College Networks and HBCU Commentating Crews:

· Mike Monaco, Jordan Rodgers and Dana Boyle are a new pairing for ESPN primetime games on Friday nights primarily featuring the Big 12 or ACC.

· ACC Network Primetime features a new look in 2026, as longtime lead play-by-play voice Wes Durham is joined by former Pitt and USC QB Max Browne and former Florida State volleyball standout Madison Fitzpatrick.

· SEC Network debuts a new trio for SEC Saturday Night as Matt Schumacker, Aaron Murray and Taylor Davis team up in primetime.

· Tiffany Greene and Jay Walker again join forces in the booth on ESPN's HBCU spotlights, along with the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kick-Off and the Cricket Celebration Bowl on ABC. This is the duo's 10th season together.

· Matt Barrie, Chase Daniel and Paul Carcaterra will take on Thursday nights in primetime on ESPN, primarily traveling to top American and Sun Belt showdowns each week. Barrie and Daniel will also be part of the new-look SEC Nation team Saturday mornings on SEC Network.

Additional Returning Crews

· Courtney Lyle, Rene Ingolia

· Jason Ross, Jr., Tyoka Jackson

· Eric Frede, Jack Ford

Additional New Crews

· Jay Alter, Tom Luginbill, Lauren Sisler

· Lowell Galindo, Kirk Morrison, Dawn Davenport

· Anish Shroff, Andre Ware, Morgan Uber

· Taylor Zarzour, Matt Stinchcomb, Michella Chester

· Dave Neal, Cole Cubelic, Tori Petry

· Jorge Sedano, Rodney McLeod, Kendra Douglas

· Roxy Bernstein, Dave Clawson, Madison Hock

· Clay Matvick, Rocky Boiman

· Chuckie Kempf, Dustin Fox

· Ted Emrich, Fozzy Whittaker

Newcomers set for commentary roles across ESPN networks

In addition to Shaw, ESPN has signed three sideline reporters for the 2026-27 season:

· Michella Chester

o Chester is a college sports reporter and host who serves as NCAA Digital's lead reporter for volleyball, softball and baseball, while also contributing to ESPN volleyball telecasts for both collegiate action and LOVB. Chester is paired with Taylor Zarzour and Matt Stinchcomb.

· Madison Fitzpatrick

o Fitzpatrick joined ESPN as a volleyball analyst and sideline reporter in 2023 after a standout career at Florida State, where she was a captain of the Seminoles' beach volleyball team and earned multiple academic and athletic honors. A former FOX16 sports anchor, Fitzpatrick will be the ACC Network Primetime Football reporter alongside Durham and Browne.

· Madison Hock

o Hock joined ESPN full-time in 2026 as a college football sideline reporter for ACC Network alongside Roxy Bernstein and Dave Clawson. A former Division I basketball player at Belmont University, Hock began her broadcasting career at WBIR-TV in Knoxville, Tenn. She later served as a reporter and host for FanDuel Sports Network, covering the Texas Rangers and New Orleans Pelicans, and currently works as a sideline reporter for Atlanta Hawks telecasts. Hock has also contributed to digital games on ACCNX and ESPN+, and calls select Big 12 games for FOX Sports.

Additional ESPN college football commentators returning this fall include rules analysts Matt Austin, Bill LeMonnier and Jerry McGinn, as well as dozens of other play-by-play commentators, analysts and reporters who will make contributions over the course of the 1,000+ games on ESPN networks.

ESPN Radio

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 veteran analyst Kelly Stouffer, former NFL and Colorado State quarterback, and longtime ESPN Radio show host and college football reporter Ian Fitzsimmons. ESPN play-by-play commentator Mike Couzens - ESPN Radio's top college basketball voice - will continue to call games with Florida alum and two-time Super Bowl champion Max Starks and former North Carolina Central standout Jordan Reid, who is a college football and NFL Draft analyst for ESPN.

ESPN Deportes

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 2026-27 season. All four have had numerous college football seasons under their belts, including multiple bowl games and College Football Playoff assignments.

The 2026-27 schedule kicks off in earnest with Week 0 action before ESPN's industry-leading coverage shifts into high gear with 60+ games across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC Network, ACC Network, ESPN+, SEC Network+, ACCNX, ESPN Radio and ESPN Deportes. Commentator game assignments will be announced on a weekly basis starting at the end of August.

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