Dusty Dvoracek and Danny Kanell wrapped their final show together. Five years of morning college football radio on SiriusXM came to a close. With the end of the program came an announcement that Roy Philpott will be stepping in and replacing Dvoracek, while he shifts to a role in middays.
What We Know: Danny Kanell stays in mornings, joined by new co-host Roy Philpott starting Monday. Philpott has hosted several shows on SiriusXM’s college channel and filled in on mornings numerous times before. He also works for ESPN as a play-by-play announcer since 2016, calling college football, basketball, baseball and softball games as well as contributing to ESPN’s UFL coverage on ABC. Dusty Dvoracek, meanwhile, shifts to middays, College Sports Today, airing noon to 3 p.m. He’ll host alongside Kris Budden, Nicole Auerbach, E.J. Manuel and Bobby Carpenter.
What They Said: (All quotes from SiriusXM College Sports Radio):
Dusty Dvoracek on working with Danny Kanell: “We started this thing on Tuesdays. [Greg] McIlroy was gone, and I’d come in, and it felt like instant chemistry. You kind of just knew this is gonna work. It’s been so much fun. I love holding you accountable, but it’s all good natured fun. I’m gonna miss you tremendously.”
Dusty Dvoracek on the difficulty leaving the program: “I’ve been doing radio now for almost 15 years. I’ve enjoyed every co-host that I’ve worked with. But this one’s been really special. It’s why it’s so hard to say goodbye. I was hoping we could find a way to make it work. Just not going to work out, and I hate it. But you know, I appreciate you. These five years have been tremendous.”
Dusty Dvoracek excited to see the program he’s leaving continue to grow: “It’s not like I’m dying or I’m going away. I’ll still be talking college sports. But unfortunately, it won’t be with you boys in the morning. But I appreciate all of you. Thank you for this ride. It’s been tremendous fun, and I can’t wait to see how the show is going to move on from here and what’s to come for all of us in the future.”
Danny Kanell on Dusty Dvoracek: “I don’t think anybody knows the sacrifice you’ve made to get up at 4:15, 4:30 in the morning local time to come here and deliver every single morning. Bringing the energy, and bringing the knowledge. You just [made] this show easy to do as a co-host. It’s been awesome. I’ve had an absolute blast last five years. I’ll miss working with you every single morning. Like you said, you’re not going away.”
Danny Kanell shares his thanks for Dusty Dvoracek: “We talk more to each other than we do to our spouses. That’s the reality of doing three hours of radio every day for five years together. Love you like a brother. I’ll still be watching, texting you during games that you’re calling. I’m gonna miss you, man. It’s been an incredible run.”
Danny Kanell announces Roy Philpott as his new co-host: “Roy Philpott, our buddy. You’ve heard him here on the channel across a lot of the different times that we have shows on here. We’ve heard him in here as a fill-in when one of us are gone. We’ve worked together a lot over the past month. He’s going to be stepping in to fill your shoes. Oh boy, I’ve already gotten some complaints that there’s going to be an ACC bias.”
Danny Kanell on his excitement to welcome Roy Philpott to mornings: “I’m fired up to be working with Roy here moving forward, and should be a blast. It should be awesome. So hopefully we’ll keep our fans that you and I built together, and they’ll just expand across the whole day where they can listen to you in the afternoon and be in the morning with Roy.”
What Remains Unclear: It’s unclear how Philpott’s ESPN duties will mesh with a daily morning slot. Dvoracek’s frequency of appearances in middays was also not mentioned.
What It Means: The end of Dusty and Danny closes a five-year chapter in college sports radio. However, neither host is truly leaving the network. Instead, SiriusXM is restructuring its college football audio lineup. Meanwhile, Dvoracek’s expanded ESPN role suggests a growing crossover between radio and television commitments in sports media. Philpott’s addition is a welcome one with much familiarity to the audience. It should provide an easy transition for the listening audience in the mornings.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.