Why so many Buckeyes thrive behind the mic
A generation of Ohio State athletes has transitioned from competition to commentary, turning early exposure into lasting media careers.
When Clark Kellogg’s star began to rise in the 1990s, he was a lonely Buckeye presence on national TV. Not anymore. Today, if you tune in to any of the major networks’ college sports coverage, there’s a good chance you’ll encounter a former Ohio State athlete: calling a game, gabbing in the studio, warming up the crowd at a pregame show.
The same goes if you watch TV or listen to the radio in Columbus. Or if you subscribe to the Big Ten Network, which broadcasts 23 sports played by the conference’s 18 universities. In total, Ohio State Alumni Magazine identified 40 former university athletes who now work as broadcasters on the national, regional or local levels. That’s practically enough scarlet and gray talent to staff an entire network (though one that wouldn’t attract many viewers in Ann Arbor).
So how did Ohio State come to dominate the airwaves? It comes down to two things: the unique attributes of its student-athletes and the unique environment that surrounds them in Columbus.
It’s no secret that Ohio State sports attract a lot of media attention, football foremost among them. And this publicity—a level of exposure unlike almost any other university—provides some athletes with on-the-job training for broadcasting. They become comfortable in front of cameras and microphones and adept at answering questions from reporters. That experience—and the credibility that comes with being a former Ohio State athlete—makes them a hot commodity for media jobs, particularly in Columbus, which can lead to a long-term local career or become a launching pad for a national gig.
But the phenomenon isn’t just about surroundings. It’s also about the type of student-athletes who come to Ohio State: smart, dedicated, quick-thinking, hard-working young people who are used to performing under pressure. And once their playing days end, those traits help them succeed in broadcasting, just like they did in sports, says former Ohio State linebacker Joshua Perry ’15, who has become a top college football analyst at NBC over the past few years. “I still have a hunger to learn and to get better every day, and that was an approach I took as a player,” he says.
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The Legends
A Mount Rushmore of Buckeye broadcasters would need to include these two. Kellogg, a star forward on the Ohio State basketball team from 1979 to 1982, is a college basketball analyst for CBS Sports and a mainstay of the network’s March Madness coverage since the 1990s. He paved the way for all the Buckeyes who’ve followed him, including Herbstreit, a pillar of ESPN’s college football coverage for more than three decades. The former Ohio State quarterback (1989–93) has been an analyst on “College GameDay” since 1996 and the lead college football game analyst since 2009. Beyond ESPN, Herbstreit has teamed with Al Michaels on Amazon’s “Thursday Night Football” NFL games since 2022.
Clark Kellogg ’96
CBS Sports
Kirk Herbstreit ’93
ESPN/ABC & Amazon Prime Video
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National Players
Jim Jackson
Fox Sports
The Ohio State hoops great is a longtime, respected college basketball game and studio analyst. He previously worked for ESPN and BTN.
A.J. Hawk ’06
ESPN
The ex-linebacker is a low-key counterpart to the animated Pat McAfee on his eponymous daily podcast, an ESPN cornerstone program.
Cardale Jones ’17
CBS Sports
The title-winning QB is a college football studio analyst across the network’s platforms, alongside fellow Buckeye Chris “Beanie” Wells ’15.
Joshua Perry ’15
NBC Sports & 97.1 The Fan
An on-the-rise college football analyst known for his calm, measured and informed commentary on “B1G College Countdown.”
John Cook
The Golf Channel
The 21-time winner on the PGA and Senior tours has contributed to the network in a variety of capacities for more than a decade.
Others
Joey Galloway ’95, football, ESPN / Dustin Fox ’05, football, ESPN / Robert Smith, football, Fox Sports / Evan Turner, basketball, NBC Sports / Paul Caponigri ’04, hockey, ESPN, Peacock, BTN / Joey Lane ’19, basketball, ESPN+, BTN
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Columbus All-Stars
Jeff Logan ’78, Roy Hall Jr. ’06, Bill Conley ’72 & Matt McCoy ’87
The 610 crew
During football season, WTVN boasts the only on-air Buckeye broadcasting team comprised entirely of ex-Ohio State athletes, including anchor McCoy, a former swimmer.
Kristin Watt ’86, ’89 JD
Ohio State Sports Network
The Columbus lawyer has called Buckeye women’s basketball games for nearly 40 years. “It’s a way for me to stay connected with the game and the team that I love,” she says.
Tyvis Powell ’15
BTN, 10TV & 97.1 The Fan
The funny, high-energy former safety credits football PIO Jerry Emig ’86 MA for nurturing his broadcasting success. “He’s the reason why I’m here today,” Powell said on BTN in the fall.
Others
Jim Lachey ’85, football, Ohio State Sports Network / Ron Stokes ’85, basketball, Ohio State Sports Network / Caity Matter Henniger ’05, ’05, basketball, Ohio State Sports Network / Jerry Rudzinski ’99, football, 97.1 The Fan / Bobby Carpenter ’06, ’15 MBA, football, 97.1 The Fan / Chimdi Chekwa ’10, football, NBC4 / DeVier Posey ’12, football, 10TV / George Reese ’17, 10TV / Rick Smith ’80, basketball, 10TV / Ben Buchanan ’12, ’13 MA, ’18 PhD, football, ABC 6/Fox28 / Obie Stillwell ’96, ’21, football, ABC 6/Fox28 / Jay Richardson ’06, football, ABC 6/Fox28
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Beyond Football and Hoops
Matt Bartkowski
SportsNet Pittsburgh
The former NHL defenseman began in 2023 as a studio analyst for the regional network, covering the Pittsburgh Penguins, his hometown team.
Tessa Bonhomme ’10
Jocks in Jills podcast
The hockey gold medalist left Canada’s TSN in 2024 after a decade as a reporter and anchor to work with the PWHL on this podcast highlighting women’s hockey.
Mac Podraza ’22, ’23 MS
BTN
The volleyball analyst and several other Buckeyes—including Powell and Lane—have found media gigs after participating in BTN’s Broadcast Experience bootcamp.
Phil Mattingly ’06
CNN
A Buckeye broadcasting outlier: Unlike his fellow ex-jocks, the former Ohio State baseball player covers more than sports as chief domestic correspondent and anchor.
Others
John Mowat ’86, hockey, Ohio State Sports Network / Brendon Kearney ’19, ’20 MAcc, hockey, Ohio State Sports Network / Bob Spears ’96, baseball, Ohio State Sports Network / Audrey DiPronio Flaugh ’92, volleyball, BTN
Photo credits: Jodi Miller (Kellogg), ESPN (Herbstreit), WTVN (610 crew), Fox Sports (Jackson), Getty Images (Hawk, Cook), CBS Sports (Jones), NBC Sports (Perry), Jo McCulty ’84, ’94 MA (Watt), courtesy of Tyvis Powell, SportsNet Pittsburgh (Bartkowski), Professional Women’s Hockey League (Bonhomme), courtesy of Mac Podraza, CNN (Mattingly)
