Who will be behind the microphone when the Clemson Tigers take on the Georgia Bulldogs to open the 2024 college football season?
ESPN on Tuesday made their 2024 college football commentator pairings — which include games that will air on ABC — official.
The network’s No. 2 broadcast team of Sean McDonough (play by play), Greg McElroy (color commentary) and Molly McGrath (sideline reporter) will be on the call when the Tigers face the Bulldogs at noon ET on Aug. 31 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The game will be televised nationally on ABC.
ESPN’s top broadcast team of Chris Fowler (play by play), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst) and Holly Rowe (sideline reporter) return as the network’s No. 1 team. The trio will call the Week 1 prime time contest between No. 7 Notre Dame and No. 22 Texas A&M in College Station (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
The following is part of a press release from ESPN regarding its top 2024 commentator pairings:
“ESPN’s industry-leading coverage of college football will once again feature the deepest roster of on-air personalities in the sport for the 2024-25 season – a blend of veteran voices, familiar faces and talented newcomers.
“More than two dozen teams of veteran play-by-play commentators, informative analysts and versatile reporters will cover the season from August’s Week 0 kickoff through the College Football Playoff National Championship in Atlanta in January 2025.
“Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and reporter Holly Rowe will team up again to call marquee matchups on ABC. The 2024 season marks Fowler and Herbstreit’s 11th year in the SNF booth and their 29th 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 10 College Football Playoff National Championship games together. Rowe, a 2023 Sports Emmy winner, joined the team in 2021 and is in her 29th college football season for ESPN and ABC.
“Another top ABC/ESPN team features Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy and Molly McGrath pairing up for the second season. The Alabama National Champion quarterback enters his ninth 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 sixth straight year in addition to serving as ESPN’s lead NHL play-by-play voice. McGrath, fresh off her third consecutive College Football Playoff National Championship network assignment and second straight Sports Emmy nomination, is in her fifth season in this role and eighth consecutive year at ESPN. She has recently signed a contract extension with ESPN.
“The trio of veteran play-by-play voice Joe Tessitore, longtime ESPN analyst Jesse Palmer and sideline reporter Katie George will work together on ESPN/ABC games for the second straight season. Palmer, a leading ESPN/ABC studio analyst for years, recently signed a contract extension and enters his 17th season at ESPN, previously working in both game and studio analyst roles across ESPN platforms. He’s also a consistent face on ABC as host of the popular Bachelor series. 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, the co-host of Holey Moley on ABC, and was just announced as a commentator for WWE. George, a versatile reporter who has covered multiple sports and events for ESPN and ABC – including the NBA, XFL, F1, NCAA Volleyball and more, returns for her sixth year on the sidelines across ESPN platforms.
“The teams of Fowler/Herbstreit/Rowe, McDonough/McElroy/McGrath, and Tessitore/Palmer/George will rotate commentary duties for the new SEC on ABC franchise at 3:30 p.m., which debuts Saturday, Aug. 31 with a brand new graphics and animation package.”
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