Former Longhorn football Players Behind The Mic, by Professor Larry Carlson

Larry is quite skilled behind the mic, too. In the photo below, he is just beginning his journey to becoming a media guru and professor, interviewing Randy McEachern after a football game.

Larry says, “True confession here. I always start combing ESPN’s website daily in late spring, eagerly awaiting the unveiling of the weeknight college game schedule. You know, the kind of Tuesday night treats like Bowling Green versus Toledo at that city’s famed Glass Bowl. Love it. Can’t get enough of it. And I never record enough games to ease me through the winter.”

But…the airwaves nowadays make for yet another bragging point for followers of the Longhorns. The University of Texas just might have more former football players mic’d up as football analysts than anybody. Yes, there is a burnt-orange tint on your screen.

True, Ohio State points to Kirk Herbstreit and Joey Galloway as heavyweights each Saturday. Alabama can boast of Greg McElroy, Roman Harper and Mark Ingram. Booger McFarland and Marcus Spears make for a smashing 1-2 punch from LSU, and Florida offers observations from Tim Tebow and Chris Doering

But from ESPN to CBS to Fox to the SEC Network, Longhorns roam the college press boxes and network studios in increasing numbers. And that is in spite of the fact that one of the Longhorns’ all-time performers and fan favorites, Colt McCoy, was in the broadcast booth only about as long as he played in the ill-fated Bama game at the Rose Bowl. Just last fall, the legendary QB and wasp nest/insurance whiz became the latest Longhorn to button on a lavalier mic and join the broadcast fun. As soon as he hung up his NFL cleats and clipboard, Colt made his reads and quickly stepped into the broadcast booth. He was a Big Ten game analyst and College Countdown studio show panelist for NBC-TV. Almost as quickly, ol’ number 12 from Tuscola called an audible after his rookie season on air, left broadcasting and opened a real estate office in Fort Worth. Texas fans never really got to see if McCoy had the “Q factor” to connect with audiences the way he clicked with Jordan Shipley. Easy come, easy go. But let it be noted. Colt does host a digital series on the Underdog Fantasy network.

Veteran status among the roster of former UT standouts on network TV belongs to Chris Simms and Brian Jones. Simms is a strong voice on Fox Sports’ NFL studio coverage. And at 6-4, the Jersey boy doesn’t have to look up to 6-2 Maria Taylor unless she puts on the freaky heels. Simms was a solid QB for Tampa Bay before a horrific spleen injury derailed his playing days. Besides his studio duties he also hosts the “Chris Simms Unbuttoned” podcast and is known to level criticism when and where he feels it is warranted.

My assessment? Simms is better with a mic than he was as a QB.

Solid. But stop letting the barber college dropouts skin the sides of your head, Chris. C’mon, you’re 45, dude.

Over at CBS, Brian Jones is a studio mainstay with Rick Neuheisel and host Adam Zucker. Jones grew up in Lubbock, played alongside Troy Aikman at UCLA, then transferred to Texas and became an All-Southwest Conference linebacker for the 1990 “Shock The Nation” herd of ‘Horns. He played several seasons in the NFL and eventually cut his broadcast teeth in radio and TV in Austin before moving to Fox Sports Southwest and then to CBS.

Jones has made it with a booming, boisterous style that, to this writer, consistently comes across as more comical than analytical. That said, Jones keeps signing contracts and sacking hefty paychecks. What do I know?

The Acho brothers, Sam and Manny, were standout players and scholars at Texas, starring together on the memorable 2009 Big XII championship team that played for the national title. Both earned all-conference accolades, both were late draft picks who defied those lukewarm assessments and went on to good NFL careers. Sam, the elder brother, played nine seasons and was inducted into the Hall of Honor at UT. A breeze of fun as an ESPN analyst, Same exudes joy with his broad, piano-key grin and enthusiasm. The ability to be entertaining while dishing out clarity and insights makes Sam Acho the fastest rising up-and-comer at ESPN.

Younger brother Manny actually started earlier in broadcasting because his pro career was shorter. He starred on ESPN, then Fox Sports. Now he focuses on a YouTube show and continues to write. He has penned two New York Times bestsellers. Manny fell out of favor with many Texas fans for some of his advocacy, comments and viewpoints during the Covid-era conflict regarding “The Eyes of Texas.”

Nevertheless, he has, since that time, delivered the commencement speech at UT in May 2022.

The Acho boys continue to put in sweat, brainpower and money to their dad and family’s pet project, the Living Hope Medical Center in Nigeria.

Climbing the rungs at ESPN, former Longhorn runningback Fozzy Whitaker is a color analyst, sometimes paired with Lowell Galindo. They worked together for more than a few years at the Longhorn Network, owned and operated by ESPN. Whitaker, 36, serves up an engaging personality that comes across well, while displaying the background and institutional knowledge of a former college and NFL player. It’s too early to predict whether Fozzy can rise quickly to the top tier at ESPN as Sam Acho has done. But he’s getting reps.

The aforementioned Longhorn Network provided Texas fans with terrific football coverage, along with standout programming across the spectrum of UT sports. It is missed by many. Don’t you want to count on seeing Justin Tucker kick the Aggies in the teeth, once a month?

One facet of the coverage was the utilization of former Longhorn football stars as studio analysts. Fans saw ballers such as Vince Young, David Thomas, Brian Robison and Jordan Shipley, and received an insider’s take on what was going down on the Forty Acres, what it had been like in the past.

For my money, the most polished of the analysts was Dan Neil, a two-time All-America guard (’95 & ’96) a seven-year starter for the Denver Broncos. Most insightful was the great Ricky Williams. Likeable and earnest, he seemed destined to become an on-air force for ESPN but likely was not compelled to push for that status and exposure.

The go-to guy for honesty, if not for perfect grammar, was Michael Griffin, the 2005 national champs’ leading tackler who played ten NFL seasons, primarlily with the Titans. Griffin never hesitated to call out areas of Texas football in need of improvement, on or off the field, even within the coaching realm. Color him entertaining and refreshing.

College football on TV has evolved from the stone age ABC Game of the Week with Chris Schenkel and Bud Wilkinson to the stentorian tones of the great Keith JACK-son to Verne “The Pride of Texas Lutheran” Lundquist and Gary Danielson to the pageantry of ESPN’s College GameDay and the mascot head antics of newly retired Lee Corso. Dozens and dozens of gamecasts each Saturday. And addicts and fanatics now get college ball on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday for the second half of each season. So keep your AI, your spanking new phone and the damn electric car.

To this guy, five nights a week of televised pigskin matchups is easily the biggest advance — along with Diet Coke and satellite radio — of modern times.

My favorite play-by-play man is the marvelous, buttery smooth and ultra prepared Dave Flemming, king of late night games from the West Coast. Gosh, I wish he’d be unleashed on the SEC.

Favorite Longhorn on the tube is easily Sam Acho. His enthusiasm is contagious, his expertise is evident.

The golden throats I try to avoid are Gus Johnson and Joe Tessitore, two masters of overhype on almost every play.

Now, as you plot out your viewing choices for the week and weekend, think about it. Who makes your final cut as the best of the best and the worst of the worst?

(TLSN’s Larry Carlson is a member of the Football Writers Association of America and is a former Austin sportscaster. He teaches sports media and Texas State University and lives in San Antonio.

Write him at: lc13@txstate.edu )