“And after the first year, I would’ve told you the same thing about Jordan. “It’s nothing against Al Michaels or Joe Buck or Dave Pasch, but I’ll put my guy up against anybody. “The main reason I never thought that’d be possible is because I think Tom is the best play-by-play guy in the business,” Cubelic told SDS. He certainly didn’t think he’d still be with his trio in Year 5.
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Whether Cubelic envisioned he’d be this comfortable in his field analyst role is one thing. As he watches Kentucky put the finishing touches on its preparation for LSU, Cubelic makes himself comfortable in the seats that he’s looked up at countless times from his main spot in the south end zone.
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On a sun-soaked Friday afternoon in Lexington, Cubelic sits a few rows above field level at Kroger Field. “The most anticipated home game in Kroger Field history … this is SEC Saturday Night.” Their collective silence says more than either a frantic response or a belly laugh. Having worked with Hart during various SEC basketball and baseball productions for several years, Palladino knows that Hart is just trying to loosen things up. Spend enough time listening to Hart, Rodgers and Cubelic - or just listen in on a quick dress rehearsal - and one can see why they’ve had such continuity.Īs he prepares to deliver his scene-setting opener to highlight the magnitude of the sellout crowd for unbeaten Kentucky and the importance of the game for Ed Orgeron’s future, Hart has a final message for his producer. No broadcasting trio in college football has been doing it longer than them (FOX’s Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt and Jenny Taft also started working together in 2017). Hart, Rodgers and Cubelic are in Year 5 working alongside one another. It’s a Saturday night ritual that’s 5 years in the making - prep, bust chops, hammer out the key points of the broadcast, bust some more chops and take to the airwaves to announce the SEC Network’s premier matchup. That allows them to work cohesively and not be insecure of each other’s presence, which Rodgers admittedly was when they started in 2017.Īfter Cubelic returns, Palladino speaks into the earpieces of his on-air trio. Cubelic is the former Auburn center who diagnoses protections and run-blocking schemes while Rodgers is the former Vanderbilt quarterback who breaks down reads and coverages. He and Rodgers are both analysts, albeit with different vantage points and areas of expertise. That’s rare in the industry because it risks announcers talking over each other.
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What Cubelic can do is analyze the game without needing to tell a producer whenever he wants to speak because his mic is always open.
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Rodgers quips, “nope, you can’t do that.” Cubelic informs them that he’s stepping away to use the restroom before the 7:30 p.m. “Wow, are we live? That was good.”īefore they are actually live, field analyst Cole Cubelic speaks to his broadcast partners in the booth and producer Bill Palladino in SEC Network’s production trucks in the Kroger Field parking lot. After the SEC Network play-by-play announcer finishes practicing his scene-setting introduction for LSU-Kentucky, color analyst Jordan Rodgers chimes in. The dress rehearsal for “SEC Saturday Night” high above Kroger Field is in the books. LEXINGTON - Minutes before his microphone is live across the country, Tom Hart just can’t help himself.