It was the end of an era last season when Gary Danielson called his final game with CBS after 20 seasons as CBS’s lead college football analyst.
Play-by-play announcer Brad Nessler, who had worked alongside Danielson at CBS since 2016 and also worked with him during a previous stint at ABC, was in need of a new partner for Big Ten action. He found it in Charles Davis, who traded in the NFL booth for the college one.
Davis made his CBS Big Ten debut on Saturday, calling Boise State-Oregon alongside Nessler and sideline reporter Jenny Dell.
Brad Nessler: “[Charles Davis], welcome to the Big Ten on CBS, partner!” pic.twitter.com/3ekmCm4VQq
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 5, 2026
By all accounts, the former Tennessee Volunteers star excelled in his college football debut, bringing some energy to the booth, as well as some somewhat relevant pop culture references.
“That looked like something out of The Blind Side – ‘It’s time for that young man to go home.'” – Charles Davis 😂 pic.twitter.com/6HXY899Gc4
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) September 5, 2026
Overall, Davis garnered high praise from many pundits and media members for his work on the day.
This is going to be a GREAT pairing for some big games later this year! https://t.co/uhIpBg4dHg
— Denton Day (D-Day) (@TheDentonDay) September 5, 2026
Great to see the amazing Charles Davis on Boise St. – Oregon. Nobody is better.
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) September 5, 2026
I think Charles Davis has been a pretty damn good successor to Gary Danielson. It’s one half, but him and Brad Nessler just sound like they belong together.
— Sam Neumann (@Sam_Neumann_) September 5, 2026
Brad Nessler & Charles Davis are already a fantastic listen.
Charles is a pro’s pro. 1 small thing that he always does, he will come back to the sideline reporter’s story in a meaningful way.
He’ll give props to Jenny Dell & then add to it so it’s easy for audience to follow.
— Mike O’Donnell (@MOD4three) September 5, 2026
CBS is fortunate to have landed Charles Davis to replace Gary Danielson. Danielson was great, and Davis is phenomenal. It’s awesome to have a draft analyst calling the best games on CBS each week. I can’t believe ESPN would let Davis go.
— Charlie Campbell (@DraftCampbell) September 5, 2026
The CBS transition from Gary Danielson to Charles Davis: seamless
Davis is elite
— Jon Wilner (@wilnerhotline) September 5, 2026
Charles Davis is the man and I look forward to forming a parasocial football viewing 230 cbs relationship with him, but ima drink a beer for Gary Danielson, he would be loving this right now
— T-Bob Hebert (@TBob53) September 5, 2026
Davis didn’t win everyone over, and there was still plenty of love out there for those who miss Danielson, but it seems as though CBS made the right call on their top CFB booth for the foreseeable future.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.