ESPN is shuffling its college football studio roster for the upcoming season, leaning on a mix of familiar faces and new pairings across its family of networks. The network confirmed that analysts EJ Manuel, Joey Galloway, and Booger McFarland will return to studio roles, while longtime anchors Matt Barrie, Kevin Negandhi, and Kevin Connors will once again headline coverage.
The biggest shift involves Manuel, who is moving from a consistent presence on ACC Network to a larger role on ESPN’s national coverage. He’ll work alongside Barrie and Galloway throughout Saturdays, contributing analysis and perspective as part of the network’s flagship studio programming.
The trio will also anchor College Football Final each week, recapping the biggest games and storylines from around the country.
Manuel, a former Florida State quarterback and first-round NFL draft pick, is in his fifth season with ESPN. While stepping into a more prominent role, he will maintain ties to ACC Network by continuing to co-host the ACC Network Football Podcast with Roddy Jones twice a week.
For Galloway, the assignment represents another chapter in his lengthy run with the network. Now entering his 15th year with ESPN, the former Ohio State standout will continue to contribute to studio wraps and the College Football Playoff Top 25 Rankings Show, in addition to his Saturday responsibilities.
Barrie remains one of ESPN’s most versatile anchors. Along with his college football studio work, he will continue on Thursday Night Football play-by-play duties and host on-campus editions of SportsCenter tied to primetime matchups.
Meanwhile, ABC’s Saturday night coverage once again leans on the chemistry between Negandhi and McFarland. The duo has become a fixture in studio over the past half-decade, with this year marking their sixth consecutive season together.
Negandhi, who has anchored ABC’s college football studio coverage since 2019, balances the role alongside co-hosting the 6 p.m. ET edition of SportsCenter.
McFarland, a former NFL defensive lineman, extends his multi-platform presence with continued work on Get Up, NFL PrimeTime, and ESPN’s NFL Draft and Super Bowl programming.
On ESPN2, Connors and Trevor Matich return to their posts. Connors enters his seventh year on the desk, bringing experience from SportsCenter, Major League Baseball coverage, and occasional play-by-play assignments. Matich, a mainstay at ESPN since 2007, returns for his second year as a regular part of the ESPN2 studio crew while continuing to appear on College Football Live and ESPN Radio.
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