ESPN has announced its coverage plans for the upcoming Atlantic Coast Conference football season on ACC Network, highlighted by Kelsey Riggs being named the new host of ACC Huddle. Riggs first joined ESPN amid the launch of the network in August 2019, and she served as a prominent on-air talent and reporter across its football coverage. She steps into the role after the network laid off Jordan Cornette during its talent cuts and brings vast experience with both the conference and studio hosting at large.
Riggs and the rest of the ACC Huddle cast, including analysts Eric Mac Lain, EJ Manuel, Mark Richt and Eddie Royal, will be traveling all season long. They will broadcast their show from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. EST from the location of the ACC Primetime Football game of the week. The show will provide halftime reports, a special prime-time edition from 6:30 to 8 p.m. EST and a one-hour recap show at the close of the day recapping all of the action. It will be live from Blacksburg, Va. during Week 1 before the opening matchup between the Old Dominion Monarchs and Virginia Tech Hokies. Yet it will not be the only ACC Network program on-site throughout the year, being joined by ACC PM on Fridays.
The second-year show features co-hosts Mark Packer and Taylor Tannebaum, along with news and commentary from around the conference. At the end of the week, the show hits the road and will broadcast from the same location as ACC Huddle, while the preceding four days take place from Charlotte. The show is on the ACC Network weekdays from 4 to 7 p.m. EST.
ACC Primetime Football games will have a new sound this year with the addition of Wes Durham into the broadcast booth. Durham has called ACC football games for nearly three decades. He is also the lead play-by-play announcer for the Atlanta Falcons.
In her second year with the ACC Network, Tannebaum joins Durham and Tim Hasselback on the primary broadcasts as its sideline reporter. She moves into this role while still co-hosting ACC PM with Packer on weekdays.
For the third consecutive year, ACC Football Road Trip will be previewing the start of the season by visiting all 14 college campuses from Aug. 7 to Aug. 24. The ACC Huddle cast and a score of other personalities will be on site for these special episodes premiering weekdays at 7 p.m. EST. A visit to Florida State University kicks off the proceedings, which ultimately conclude with a trip to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The network will also premiere a multi-part behind-the-scenes series, All Access with Carolina Football, on Thursday at 4 p.m. EST. This program will grant viewers an inside look at what goes into preparing for the football season with the North Carolina football team, taking somewhat of a similar approach to HBO Sports and NFL Films’ Hard Knocks. Over the years, the all-access series has afforded consumers insight into Miami, NC State and Louisville among other programs.
