Behind The Mic: CBS Sports Bolsters College Football Analyst Team

Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, including new deals, departures, and assignments compiled from press releases and reports around the industry. In this week's edition, CW Network shares their newest assignments for ACC, PAC-12 and Mountain West football season; ESPN ends relationship with Ryan Clark; and more.

CBS Sports Adds Brian Kelly and Doug Pederson as College Football Analysts for 2026

Brian Kelly to serve as analyst on select games, as a studio analyst on Inside College Football on Tuesdays, and contribute to CBS Sports HQ.

Doug Pederson to call select games on CBS Sports Network.

The CW Network Sets Broadcast Teams for 2026 ACC, Mountain West, and PAC-12 College Football Season

The CW Network today announced its broadcast teams calling the upcoming 2026 college football season, featuring the largest offering of regular season games in network history with 140 hours of live college football broadcast this fall across the ACC, Mountain West, and Pac-12 conferences.

The CW's broadcast team for ACC games will once again be led by veteran broadcaster Thom Brennaman, who is returning for his third year as play-by-play announcer for CW Sports. Brennaman spent 26 years at FOX Sports calling the network's marquee NFL and MLB games, including numerous postseason and World Series matchups. He previously served as the television voice for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds. Brennaman will be joined by booth analyst Jason Cabinda, a former Penn State linebacker who played for six years in the NFL with the Detroit Lions and Oakland Raiders. He is a contributor for CBS Sports HQ GameDay Recap and has hosted the Penn State football pregame show for the past three seasons. Wes Bryant, former offensive lineman for Wake Forest and the co-host of the Wes & Walker Show on 92.7 FM WFNZ in Charlotte, North Carolina, as well as a host/producer for the ACC Digital Network, also returns as sideline analyst.

The Mountain West broadcast crew includes Jack McMullen as play-by-play announcer, Cody Kessler as booth analyst and Marshall Newhouse as sideline analyst. McMullen has served as the radio play-by-play voice of the Miami Marlins for the past two seasons, in addition to serving as a podcast and digital host with Just Baseball Media. Kessler is a former USC quarterback and four-year NFL veteran, playing for the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots. His broadcasting credits include multiple shows and podcasts for USC Media Network and ESPN LA, as well as a guest co-host on NFL Network's Good Morning Football. Newhouse is an 11-year NFL veteran offensive tackle originally drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 2010 and a part of their Super Bowl XLV championship team. He is currently a radio color analyst for TCU football and the co-host of the Just Win Podcast covering the Las Vegas Raiders.

Pac-12 games on The CW will feature play-by-play announcer Rick Allen, booth analyst Will Blackmon and sideline analyst Michael Bumpus. Allen has served as a lead announcer for FOX Sports, NBC Sports and CW

Sports over the last 23 years, most recently serving as lead commentator for the PBA Tour on The CW. He has called various events, including NASCAR and Indycar racing, the World Track and Field Championships, and college football and basketball. He is currently one of the public address announcers for the Carolina Panthers. Blackmon is a 12-year NFL veteran, Super Bowl XLVI champion with the New York Giants, and played for Green Bay, Jacksonville, and Washington. A Boston College Hall of Fame inductee, he previously served as booth analyst for CW Sports' ACC games last season. Bumpus is a former wide receiver for the Washington State Cougars who hosts the Seattle sports radio Bump and Stacy Show and is the lead host for Seahawks radio.

Play-by-play announcer Chris Fisher, booth analyst Isaiah Stanback and sideline analyst Bryan Walters join CW Sports to call select Mountain West and Pac-12 games this fall. An Emmy Award-winning broadcaster, Fisher has spent the last eight seasons as the television play-by-play voice of the Oklahoma City Thunder. His previous television work includes basketball play-by-play for FS1, Big Ten Network, Fox Sports West, Pac-12 Network and Time Warner Cable. Stanback is a four-time Emmy Award-winning sports analyst, previously serving as color commentator for Dallas Cowboys preseason broadcasts as well as calling Texas high school football game of the week broadcasts for Victory+. Before his six-year NFL career, which included a Super Bowl victory with the New York Giants in 2012, Stanback was a standout quarterback at the University of Washington. Walters is a member of the Seattle Seahawks Radio Network broadcast team, serves as a game day analyst for FOX 13 Seattle's Seahawks coverage and appears weekly on Washington Sports Wrap. He spent seven years as a wide receiver in the NFL, winning Super Bowl XLVIII with the Seattle Seahawks.

Mike Yam returns to CW Sports as the host of CW College Football Countdown studio show alongside lead analyst and former Oregon tight end George Wrighster as they preview that day's lineup on The CW featuring exclusive insight and expert analysis. Yam currently serves as a studio host at NFL Network while also regularly appearing on NBA TV as the host of The Association. Before joining NFL Network, Yam spent nine years as the lead studio host for Pac-12 Networks, anchoring marquee pre- and postgame coverage for football and basketball.

The 2026 college football season kicks off on The CW on Saturday, August 29 at 7:00pm ET/4:00pm PT with a Week 0 ACC non-conference game as New Mexico State visits Florida State for a primetime showdown. Mountain West games begin on Saturday, September 5 at 10:00pm ET/7:00pm PT with a la

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