Nate Burleson has been a featured member of the CBS Sports studio, covering the 2026 NCAA Tournament alongside Clark Kellogg, Bruce Pearl, Charles Barkley, and Kenny “The Jet” Smith. The former NFL wide receiver has served as the replacement for legendary broadcaster Ernie Johnson, who reduced his March Madness workload this year.
Burleson has built up quite the broadcasting resume with CBS, where he serves as an NFL studio analyst and a co-host for CBS Mornings.
During Saturday’s halftime show for the (crazy) Connecticut-Duke Elite Eight game, the March Madness studio crew previewed the upcoming Final Four matchup between the Michigan Wolverines and Arizona Wildcats. Pearl noted that several players on the floor would be bigger than Barkley.
“I think he was talking about his girth,” Kellogg said after Smith noted that Chuck was only 6’4.5″.
“Size matters in basketball, guys. It matters in jewelry, and it matters in basketball,” Pearl reminded everyone.
“Not just in basketball,” Burleson chimed in with a cheeky joke, before telling viewers that the second half of the UConn-Duke game was about to begin.
“Size matters in basketball, guys. It matters in jewelry, and it matters in basketball.” – Bruce Pearl
“Not just in basketball…” – Nate Burleson 👀 pic.twitter.com/RXLWQE5C6d
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 29, 2026
Sunday marked Burleson’s last day as a March Madness studio host this season. Johnson will return to the March Madness studio hosting duties for the Final Four next Saturday on TNT Sports.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.