A familiar broadcast team will be on the call when the Kentucky Wildcats host Southern Miss to open the 2024 college football season.
ESPN/ABC unveiled its 2024 college football commentator pairings on Tuesday. For Week 1, Tom Hart (play by play), Jordan Rodgers (analyst) and Cole Cubelic (sideline reporter) will broadcast the Wildcats’ Aug. 31 opener at Kroger Field (7:45 p.m. ET, SEC Network).
The trio of Hart, Rodgers and Cubelic have been SEC Network’s Saturday prime time broadcast crew for many years.
ESPN/ABC’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 crew.
As for the new “SEC on ABC” package of games, ESPN said in its press release Tuesday that its top three broadcast teams would alternative the conference’s weekly 3:30 (ET) kickoff. That marks a marked contrast to the weekly “SEC on CBS” broadcast team of Brad Nessler and Gary Danielson. The SEC officially moved its marquee 3:30 kickoffs from CBS to ABC following last year after 28 seasons.
In addition to Fowler/Herbstreit/Rowe, ESPN/ABC’s No. 2 broadcast team of Sean McDonough (play by play), Greg McElroy (analyst) and Molly McGrath (sideline) will call SEC games in the 3:30 window on ABC. The network’s No. 3 crew of Joe Tessitore (play by play), Jesse Palmer (analyst) and Katie George (sideline) will call “SEC on ABC” games, as well.
Earlier this summer, it was announced that Kentucky’s Week 2 matchup against South Carolina at Kroger Field will air in the “SEC on ABC”‘s 3:30 time slot.