College Football Commentators Include Millen Joining, Nessler on ESPN Saturday Nights, Palmer in ABC Studio

College Football Commentators Include Millen Joining, Nessler on ESPN Saturday Nights, Palmer in ABC Studio

Also New: Huard on ESPNU SEC Primetime; Two New Teams: Pasch, Griese and Spielman, Patrick, James and Cox; Andrews Adds ESPN Saturday Prime Time

Returning: Musburger, Herbstreit and Salters on ABC Saturday Night Football; Fowler, James, Palmer and Andrews on ESPN Thursday Primetime

ESPN’s 2009 college football game and studio announcer assignments will include the addition of Matt Millen and new roles for several commentators for coverage across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN360.com, ESPN Regional Television syndication – including the new weekly SEC over-the-air package — ESPN Classic, ESPN Radio and ESPN Mobile TV. Highlights of changes:

• Matt Millen, who will also provide analysis on ESPN’s NFL studio coverage, will work Saturday telecasts on ABC with Sean McDonough, who called select Friday and Saturday games last year, and reporter Holly Rowe who moves from ESPN’s Saturday prime time games.

• Brad Nessler, who called top games on ABC last year, will work ESPN Saturday prime time telecasts (primarily at 7:45 p.m. ET) with analyst Todd Blackledge and reporter Erin Andrews, who adds the Saturday game to her ESPN Thursday night series role.

• Jesse Palmer will add Saturday studio analysis on ABC to his Thursday night ESPN game telecast. In the new position, Palmer will provide pre-game, halftime and post-game analysis for every telecast on ABC and on the half-hour College Football Countdown at 3 p.m.

• Analyst Brock Huard and commentator Eric Collins will work the new exclusive ESPNU Saturday night SEC game (generally at 7 p.m.), part of the recent landmark 15-year agreement with the conference.

• Craig James, who will continue as an analyst on ESPN’s Thursday night series, Mike Patrick, the voice of many top events on ESPN for 27 years, and reporter Heather Cox will form a new team for Saturday telecasts on ABC.

• Analysts Bob Griese and Chris Spielman will join Dave Pasch on the Saturday noon telecast on ESPN. Last year, Spielman called select Friday and Saturday games while Bob Griese worked Saturday games on ABC.

• Andre Ware will provide analysis on the new ESPN Regional Television Saturday SEC over-the-air syndication package — also the result of ESPN’s agreement with the conference — with commentator Dave Neal, a long-time voice of the SEC, and reporter Cara Capuano. Coverage will begin at noon with Rob Stone and Matt Stinchcomb in the studio.

• Veteran radio play-by-play commentator Bill Rosinski will join ESPN Radio to call the weekly game broadcast with returning analyst Dennis Franchione and reporter Joe Schad.

In addition to the new assignments, commentator pairings will return on two popular series. Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit and Lisa Salters will work ABC’s Saturday Night Football Presented by Southwest Airlines series, broadcast television’s only weekly primetime game (8 p.m.). Chris Fowler, Palmer, James and Andrews will call the ESPN College Football Primetime Thursday telecast (generally at 7:30 p.m.).

In addition to the Thursday game, Fowler will host College GameDay Built by The Home Depot (Saturdays at 10 a.m.) for his 20th season. Lee Corso, who has contributed to the show since its debut in 1987, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard will also return to provide analysis.

Host Rece Davis and analysts Lou Holtz and Mark May will return to work ESPN’s Saturday pre-game, halftime, post-game and College Football Final (Saturdays at midnight) studio coverage, as well as call select ESPN and ESPN2 weekday games.

Returning announcer pairings to television’s deepest field of commentators include: Mark Jones and Bob Davie; Ron Franklin and Ed Cunningham; Joe Tessitore and Rod Gilmore; Clay Matvick and David Diaz-Infante; and Charlie Neal and Jay Walker.

ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Regional Television and ESPN360.com Game Pairings

Note: Additional commentators will be utilized throughout the season.

Game Telecast Play-by-play Analyst Reporter

Additional commentators include Bob Wischusen, Rob Stone, Dave Lamont and Clay Matvick providing play-by-play and analysts Shaun King, JC Pearson and Jon Berger.

ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN Regional Television Studio Assignments

Show Host Analysts

The 2009 college football season on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Classic, ESPN360.com, ESPN Radio, ESPN Mobile TV and ESPN Regional Television will total more than 400 regular-and post-season games, highlighted by the beginning of a new 15-year agreement with the SEC providing content across multiple platforms. The schedule will include weekly Saturday night games on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU, weekly ESPN and ESPNU Thursday night contests and telecasts every Friday and select Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays.

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