Replacing legends is one of the more difficult tasks in any profession. That applies to everyone, from the highest-level executives to the dedicated team members who give their time and service for the good of a company. For CBS Sports, 2026 marked a new beginning in its signature broadcast booths, not just in the NFL but also in college football, as Charles Davis began his journey as the top analyst on the network’s roster.
Last year, longtime CBS Sports college football analyst Gary Danielson announced he planned to retire following the 2025 season. After 36 years on television, Danielson completed his 20th season with CBS Sports as the longest-tenured college football game analyst on any network. He had built a legacy for generations, one that Davis was now tasked with following.
“Gary Danielson has been nothing but supportive since day one,” said Davis. “I knew Gary for many years and could always call him if I needed him. He reached out to me immediately and let me know he was doing one more year and then said, ‘It’s yours, and this is going to be great.'”
When Davis received the news that he would be Danielson’s successor, it forced him to step back and catch himself. While he had previously held the same role as a lead analyst for TBS and FOX Sports, this time the booth carried an added sense of pressure because he was replacing a Hall of Fame broadcaster.
However, what made the moment extra special was his new play-by-play partner, Brad Nessler, recalling a conversation from more than two decades earlier.
“I met Brad Nessler early in my career before 2000, and he asked me what I wanted to do in this business. I told him, ‘If I ever had a chance to work with you, that means I’m doing something right in this business,'” Davis explained. “When we got the news, I talked with Brad, and he reminded me of that conversation, which was pretty cool.”
Following Gary Danielson
The announcement of Danielson’s retirement came at the same time as Davis’ eventual promotion to the lead analyst role. It was a unique situation for Davis, knowing he was being trusted to take over for Danielson the following season while also settling into a new broadcasting tandem himself the year before.
Last season, Davis shifted from calling NFL games on CBS Sports with Ian Eagle to an entirely new team with Andrew Catalon, Jason McCourty and A.J. Ross. The move was designed to elevate J.J. Watt to the second team alongside Eagle. However, despite knowing his future was already determined, Davis insisted he didn’t want to say or do anything that would take away from the celebration of Danielson’s final season with CBS Sports.
“Gary even called me and asked if I wanted to come hang out with the group on days when I had some free time to get to know everyone. I politely declined because I wanted nothing to detract from Gary’s last season,” said Davis. “That’s his group and his people. I’ll jump in when retirement is official. I didn’t want anyone to think, like, I’m trying to push Gary out. But I also had a job to do with my new team, too. I didn’t focus on what I would be doing a year from now. That would have been doing a disservice to myself and everyone involved.”
With a new year and a new role came new excitement for the opportunity Davis had earned. He admits there is pressure anytime you join a high-profile position with a network, but the challenge didn’t faze him. What helps make the transition to the new role easier is the cool, calm and professional presence of Nessler, a voice Davis considers one of the best in sports.
“Brad Nessler is as good as it gets. I’ve worked with some amazing Hall of Fame talent already in my career, but Brad Nessler is one of one. He’s always prepared and knows how to handle every situation in a nanosecond,” said Davis. “Our chemistry comes from his goodness as a human being. The same goes for Jenny Dell and the rest of this CBS Sports crew. I could not have had a better welcome to this team.”
Navigating The Critique
Davis admits the broadcast flow, although solid to start the season, could always be better. Every week, he reflects on his contributions to the broadcast and takes in feedback from everyone, from production teams to his own family members.
But Davis understands that critique comes with the job, especially when the spotlight is magnified by being on the top team for CBS Sports in college football.
“It’s disingenuous to say that you totally ignore the outside world. But you’re going to hear it in certain ways. I used to be on social media, so I used to get it pretty immediately,” said Davis.
Davis’ decision to leave social media dates back to August 2020. He was once a very active member of the sports media community, engaging with the viewing audience throughout his career. However, while he doesn’t consider every critique a bad one, much of what he saw on social media provided enough reason for him to pull the plug on being online.
“You also have people who call you, claiming to be on your side, saying, ‘I can’t believe what this guy wrote about you.’ I didn’t even know they did that. But they’re telling me to let me know someone critiqued me. Because really what they’re doing is saying they agree with that person. So, you have to be wary of those people. There’s plenty of those people willing to tell you that stuff. They’re not on your side,” Davis explained.
Now, Davis reviews his own tape much like he did during his playing days at Tennessee. He has weekly meetings to go over elements of the broadcast with his production crew and, sometimes, executives. As someone who began his broadcasting career as a fluke, Davis knows through experience that putting in the work to improve every week has its payoffs.
Departing NFL Network
But Davis’ elevation to the top analyst role with CBS Sports wasn’t the only change for him in 2026. Davis, who also provided excellent NFL Draft analysis for NFL Network every year since 2007, was part of ESPN’s wave of layoffs this summer as the network began overseeing NFL Network.
“When something like that happens, you naturally wonder, ‘Am I for them?’ You can’t help but wonder unless they contact you and say, ‘Don’t worry about a thing, and you’re in.’ But I didn’t have that,” said Davis. “That’s their company and their prerogative. I’m not guaranteed anything. I knew I was vulnerable because I didn’t know who wasn’t.”
Like several other employees of ESPN or NFL Network who were part of the layoffs, Davis also didn’t find out first from anyone at ESPN. Instead, social media broke the news to Davis while he was enjoying a day with his family.
“I didn’t find out the way you should find out. I didn’t have a boss call me or give me a heads-up. Instead, I was in the Magic Kingdom with my wife, our son and nephew. We saw it on social media right as we were about to ride Space Mountain. I cannot make that up,” Davis explained. “We hopped on Space Mountain and had to deal with it afterward. Then I heard from a person who should have told me that before it all went down. That was about an hour later.”
Despite the way Davis was informed about his future, he remained appreciative of the opportunities he had with NFL Network over the years.
For Davis, 2026 has been a year of change. He inherited one of the most prominent analyst roles in college football, stepped into a new broadcast partnership with Nessler and experienced the uncertainty that comes with an industry constantly changing around him.
Yet through all of it, his approach has remained the same: prepare, listen, learn and keep moving forward.
Replacing a legend like Danielson was never going to be about trying to become the next Gary Danielson. Davis understood that from the beginning. His responsibility was to respect what came before him while bringing his own voice, perspective and experience to the booth.
That mindset has carried Davis throughout his broadcasting career. From a chance opportunity that launched him into the business to becoming one of the most respected analysts in sports. He has never stopped looking for ways to improve.
Now, with the biggest stage of his career in front of him, that same curiosity continues to drive him.
The expectations that come with being CBS Sports’ lead college football analyst aren’t lost on Davis. Neither are the opportunities. He knows the job will come with praise, criticism, pressure and plenty of moments when the outside noise gets loud. But instead of worrying about living up to someone else’s legacy, Davis is focused on creating one of his own.
Perhaps that’s the greatest compliment he can pay Danielson. The best way to honor a broadcasting legend isn’t to try to replace him. It’s to take the opportunity he left behind. Then make it your own and give the next generation of broadcasters something worth following.
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