Gary Danielson has been a fixture in college football as an analyst for the better part of four decades. But after the 2025 college football season, the longtime analyst will hang up the microphone.
On Wednesday, CBS Sports announced that the 2025 season will be Danielson’s last with the network. Current NFL analyst Charles Davis will be his replacement on CBS’s top college football package covering the Big Ten alongside play-by-play announcer Brad Nessler.
According to the CBS Sports announcement, Davis will call NFL games this year for the company, where he has worked alongside Ian Eagle on the network’s #2 broadcast team, before moving to the college game for the 2025-2026 season. Danielson spoke fondly of Davis as his CBS college football successor.
“I have had the greatest seat in the house for 36 years and have loved every minute of it,” said Danielson. “I have discussed the timing of this moment with CBS Sports leadership over the past few years and we felt it was important I remained with the team during our transition to the Big Ten. As we enter our second full season of Big Ten football and my 20th at CBS Sports, the timing just feels right. I have so much respect for Charles Davis as both a person and an analyst. He is going to shine in this role and fit so well with this team. I have been blessed to work with incredible teammates throughout my career and I look forward to one more memorable season with Brad, Jenny, Craig Silver, Steve Milton and the crew.”
“Gary Danielson is simply one of the greatest college football analysts ever. And an even better teammate,” said David Berson, President and CEO, CBS Sports. “Gary cares more about uplifting others and ensuring the team receives all the accolades. During his 20 years here, he helped propel CBS Sports to the gold standard in college football coverage. We can’t thank him enough; he will always be part of the CBS Sports family and wish him the best in retirement.”
“For the past two decades Charles has been among the best analysts across the NFL and college football,” said Berson. “He’s well known to fans, from calling college football national championships, to NFL playoff games, to the voice of Madden NFL. We’re thrilled Charles will be returning to his roots — college football — and calling our top Big Ten game each week.”
“Gary has been the preeminent voice in college football for decades, and someone I have long admired and respected,” said Davis. “It is hard to imagine college football Saturdays without him, but I am thrilled we get one last season with him. There is no replacing Gary, but I am truly honored and humbled to succeed him and call games with Brad Nessler and the incredible Big Ten on CBS team.”
As a player, Gary Danielson starred as a quarterback at Purdue from 1969-1972. He had a lengthy professional career and played 11 years in the NFL with the Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns. After his playing days were done, he joined ESPN in 1990 as a college football analyst and has been part of the sport’s landscape on the national scene ever since.
Danielson formed an iconic team with Brent Musburger on ABC and then shifted to calling the SEC on CBS in 2006 where he formed another famed duo with Verne Lundquist on the nation’s most watched college football television package. According to CBS, Danielson is the longest tenured college football analyst on television and he will bring his storied career to an end after this season.
Charles Davis is an interesting choice as his replacement as most of his career has been spent covering the NFL, but he’s shown that he’s more than capable to step into the lead college football role, even if he isn’t very high on his own exciting personality.
UPDATE: We now know that J.J. Watt will replace Davis as CBS’s #2 NFL analyst alongside Ian Eagle for this coming season. It’s expected that Davis will be reassigned to another broadcast team calling NFL games in 2025 before moving over to join Nessler on Big Ten games in 2026.
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