After nearly 25 years with ESPN, Brad Nessler is returning to CBS as the voice of its SEC football package.
CBS Sports announced Tuesday it has hired Nessler as the new voice of the SEC on CBS starting in the 2017 season. He replaces Verne Lundquist, who will step down from the role after the upcoming season. The news was initially reported more than a month ago in a tweet by Fox Sports’ Clay Travis.
Though Nessler will not become the lead voice of the SEC on CBS until next year, he will call some games this season — including the Sun Bowl. He will also work college basketball.
Nessler had been with ESPN since 1992, a tenure that included several high-profile assignments — though none for very long. He was the voice of the NBA Finals in 2003, but off of ESPN’s NBA rotation completely by 2004. He called the second half of ESPN’s Week 1 Monday Night Football doubleheader in 2006 and then again from 2010-11, but was replaced each time by a non-traditional voice (Mike Greenberg in 2007, Chris Berman in 2012). While he has worked both the BCS National Championship (2001 and 2004) and College Football Playoff semifinals (2015), he was never ESPN’s lead college football voice, passed over for Chris Fowler after ESPN demoted Brent Musburger in 2014.
Lundquist, who had been the voice of the SEC on CBS since 2000, will continue calling college basketball and golf for CBS.
(Tue. news from CBS Sports)
