OTish: Jac Collinsworth Out as ND Lead Voice

Submitted by JMo on February 22nd, 2024 at 11:36 AM

Per the Athletic

Jac Collinsworth out as NBC’s Notre Dame play-by-play voice: Sources

After two years as NBC’s Notre Dame play-by-play voice, Jac Collinsworth is out, officials briefed on the decision told The Athletic.

NBC veteran Dan Hicks will replace Collinsworth and team up with analyst Jason Garrett. Hicks had previously called Notre Dame games a decade ago. He is best known for his PGA Tour duties.

Starting next fall, NBC plans to have Noah Eagle and Todd Blackledge as the No. 1 broadcast team on all of its college football coverage. Eagle, 26, and Blackledge, 62, earned strong reviews on their Big Ten and the NFL games they called.

NBC wanted to reward them, so while they will continue to primarily focus on the Big Ten prime-time matchups if the network deems a Notre Dame game the most attractive on its schedule for a given week, then the duo will call the game.

NBC declined to comment.

 

Not that I spent a lot of time watching Notre Dame games, but Jac was a rough listen. Easily one of the lower-tier PBP guys by my account. Some of his NBC work isn't terrible, and I think the whole "only has a job because of his father" stuff is a bit overblown. But there's no arguing he was out way over his depth with the lead voice of Notre Dame job, and it was surprising that Notre Dame allowed it to go on for as long as it did. 

 

Collinsworth, the son of NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” analyst Cris, was put in the role by the network’s executive producer, Sam Flood, despite Jac having little play-by-play experience. From the first game, Collinsworth sounded out of place for such a high-profile position and received extra scrutiny because of his last name. Collinsworth, 29, graduated from Notre Dame in 2017.

NBC continues to like Collinsworth’s work as a reporter on “Football Night in America” and the Olympics. He will continue to call college football and basketball play by play on the network’s streaming service, Peacock, where he will be able to further hone his craft.

 

 

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JMo

February 22nd, 2024 at 11:42 AM ^

No, by most accounts, NBC is pretty huge on Noah Eagle.

For the 1-2? Michigan games that Eagle called this year I didn't love it. But not necessarily because of Eagle. Mostly, the NBC production kind of felt like because they had never broadcast these Big Ten games, perhaps the Big Ten audience had never seen Big Ten games?  It was a little weird having the Brown Jug (a 100 year old college trophy) almost "introduced" like people had never heard of it.

Noah Eagle isn't one of my favorites. But great college football broadcasters (in my humble opinion) are kind of hard to come by. All of the really good football talent is quickly shuffled up to the NFL. Jac was a lot harder on my ears, but thankfully/gratefully ND was pretty average and I didn't have a lot of reason to tune into Jac and Garrett. Again though, I think the hand-wringing online about him and "nepotism" is a bit overblown. 

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Qmatic

February 22nd, 2024 at 12:34 PM ^

I agree that NBC production for B1G games did feel quite a bit "off." It felt too much like a ND game with Michigan and B1G stuff cut and pasted all over it. Noah Eagle I think could get there as a good PBP guy, but he is not there yet. His father, Ian, is one of the best voices in the game and I think the absolute best that CBS has for March Madness.

The B1G on CBS felt even odder but that was only for the UNLV game. It got to the point that when the Playoffs were on ABC/ESPN that even that felt funky. Basically I've grown use to Fox/BTN's style and everything else just strikes as second tier.

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blueheron

February 22nd, 2024 at 12:27 PM ^

... or that Jeff Samardzija was an MLB-caliber pitcher?! :) Gotta love the Domer PR machine.

- - -

That early season '06 ND game was fun to watch, but I think it distorted the whole season. It made Michigan look better than they actually were. In case the Ball State (!) game didn't reset expectations, the last couple of games provided some clarity. (Very good ... just not great.) Side note: To this day I believe the effect of Bo's demise was overrated.

 

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NittanyFan

February 22nd, 2024 at 11:42 AM ^

I agree --- Jac Collinsworth wasn't terrible.  But he was out of his depth.

If his Dad called in a favor to get him the NBC Notre Dame gig (and he probably DID) --- well, shame on Cris.  He got his son a "nepo baby" label and made his "growth" years in the industry much too public. 

Jac's career would have been much better served by rising through the ranks, calling lower-tier ESPN2 or FS1 (or wherever) games and growing from there.

On a side note: Jason Garrett????  That guy IS truly TERRIBLE.  A piece of graphite has more personality and charm.  

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JMo

February 22nd, 2024 at 3:27 PM ^

Yeah but he's not. I mean don't force me into a situation where I have to "defend" Jac Collinsworth... but he studied broadcasting at Notre Dame, he had a notable broadcasting job on campus while a student at Notre Dame. He may have gotten his first job with NBC because of a connection with his dad, but also because NBC is the flagship broadcast network of Notre Dame. Broadcasting Notre Dame games wasn't his first job. He was a digital producer, and social media "kid" right out of college. He did social/digital correspondence for the Rio Olympics in 2016. He then left NBC and spent 3 years at ESPN as a features reporter. Before returning to NBC and eventually taking his position.

Yes, he progressed too quickly. He's also relieved of his position because of that. It's also not his fault NBC put him in that job. It's his job to go out and get whatever he can get.

But if you look at Twitter or ask online, he graduated Notre Dame, showed up at NBC and they made him the lead broadcaster of Notre Dame. He wasn't ONLY hired because of his father. It's not the literal truth. He had qualifications, while still being underprepared/underqualified.

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Derek

February 22nd, 2024 at 4:56 PM ^

If not for his dad, he would not have gotten that job. The other details are background narrative.

Don't get me wrong: I don't blame him (or his dad) for it. NBC execs have long cultivated a toxic culture that gives rise to this kind of nepotism. They're the problem, not the kid who got his dream job before he was ready for it.

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colonel

February 22nd, 2024 at 6:45 PM ^

JMo's points strike me as valid. Collinsworth definitely got the high-profile ND gig at NBC because of his name, but he's also not some deadbeat hack. He has real credentials of his own. He does a fine job on Football Night in America as one of their pre-game sideline guys. He flew too close to the sun, I guess, but he's really not that bad. Maybe he'll learn from this and do a better job with the play-by-play of smaller games as he gets older. 

Jason Garrett, on the other hand, is a brutal listen...

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lilpenny1316

February 22nd, 2024 at 11:56 AM ^

I had no idea there was a Jac Collinsworth. I also have no idea why people keep pumping up ND with their Charmin soft schedule.

NBC wanted to reward them (Eagle/Blackledge), so while they will continue to primarily focus on the Big Ten prime-time matchups if the network deems a Notre Dame game the most attractive on its schedule for a given week, then the duo will call the game.

So, we'll be seeing plenty of Eagle/Blackledge in the B1G this year.

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ixcuincle

February 22nd, 2024 at 11:58 AM ^

He was fine as a studio head but being a major PBP just wasn't right. I didn't even notice he was their PBP anyway I thought it was always Noah Eagle and Todd Blackledge. Maybe those were the B1G crew.

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Team 101

February 22nd, 2024 at 12:01 PM ^

Dan Hicks is a professional.  Probably the best broadcaster ND Football will have had since it signed the contract with NBC.  Garrett is cause to hit the mute button.

Eagle and Blackledge are OK.  They won't detract from the coverage.

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Hensons Mobile…

February 22nd, 2024 at 2:47 PM ^

Kinda weird how NBC has been so invested in getting the kids who sound just like their fathers. Is there no Chuck Lundquist to hire?

I don't know why such hate for Jac and Noah. They both seemed fine. 

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