If you have the new SEC Network as part of your TV package at home, you'll be watching a lot of football action, including the Kentucky Wildcats, this fall.
The SEC Network, the 24/7 multiplatform network devoted to the Southeastern Conference and operated by ESPN, has finalized its 2014 football commentating lineup and added several names in the process.
Heisman-winning quarterback Andre Ware and former Georgia lineman Matt Stinchcomb have both signed multi-year agreements to join the network as college football analysts when it launches August 14, 2014. Tony Barnhart, Tom Hart, Kaylee Hartung and Dave Neal have also been added to the roster.
Ware and Stinchcomb join Jesse Palmer, Greg McElroy, Booger McFarland, Marcus Spears and Tim Tebow to complete an analyst pool that boasts:
* 2 Heisman Trophy Winners
* 6 All-American First Team Awards
* 8 All-SEC First Team Awards
* 4 National Championships
* 6 SEC Championships
* 5 NFL First Round Picks
* 2 Super Bowl Rings
In addition to their on-the-field success, Ware has covered college football at ESPN for the last 10 years and served as an SEC game analyst for the last five and Stinchcomb has provided studio coverage for both SEC syndicated football games and ESPNU since 2009.
It was previously announced that sportscasting legend Brent Musburger will join analyst Palmer and sideline reporter Maria Taylor every Saturday as play-by-play on one of three SEC Network games. ESPN’s Neal and Hart will round out the remaining play-by-play roles. Neal is a two-time Emmy winner and long-time voice of the SEC, calling SEC syndicated football games alongside Ware for the last five years and covering the conference since the early 90s. Hart, a Missouri graduate, joined ESPN in 2012 as a college sports commentator with a wide breadth of game commentating experience.
The SEC Network college football booth pairings are:
*Musburger and Palmer
*Neal and Ware
*Hart and Stinchcomb
In addition to 45 college football games this season, the SEC Network will have all-encompassing studio coverage of the 14 SEC football teams on game day and throughout the week. The network has added Hartung and Barnhart to a growing roster of studio contributors.
Hartung, joined ESPN in 2012 as an anchor and reporter for Longhorn Network and has contributed to ESPN’s multiplatform coverage of college football, basketball and baseball. Her new deal with ESPN will now be highlighted by her addition to SEC Nation, the network’s traveling pre-game show. Her role will also include additional ESPN assignments.
Barnhart will contribute to the network’s studio programming. He will also contribute columns on SECSports.com. Barnhart brings a wealth of experience having covered the conference for more than 20 years. He began his career covering SEC sports at the Atlanta Journal Constitution which led to extensive reporting roles at ESPN and CBS.
Previously announced analysts, McElroy and McFarland will highlight the network’s studio presence in Charlotte, N.C. on game days, offering analysis and opinion with live previews, halftime-shows and recaps in wall-to-wall SEC football coverage. The pair will follow the tripleheader of SEC game coverage on the network with SEC Scoreboard, a comprehensive review with highlights and post-game reaction of the day that was on the SEC gridiron.
