The first round of the College Football Playoff is right around the corner, and Bleacher Report is calling on a bit of star power to drum up interest in its content offerings.
Bleacher Report, which operates under the TNT Sports umbrella, announced on Monday that former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel will join the B/R No Huddle team live from Kyle Field at 9 a.m. ET on Saturday prior to the Aggies’ game against Miami at noon. Manziel will serve as a “Field Side Correspondent” for Bleacher Report throughout the game, which will see the Heisman Trophy winner share his experiences live with fans. Mike Golic Jr. and other special guests will also appear on-site.
Interestingly, the Miami-Texas A&M game is not one of the two first-round matchups that TNT Sports will air as part of a sublicense agreement with ESPN. TNT will show the two late games on Saturday, Tulane-Ole Miss at 3:30 p.m. ET and James Madison-Oregon at 7:30 p.m. ET. The network certainly deserves some credit for sending a show on-site for a game it is not actually airing.
In an announcement on Monday, TNT Sports also teased that Bleacher Report and sister brand House of Highlights will have “extensive content offerings throughout the CFP leading up to the National Championship, including on-the-ground immersive and real-time content, exclusive shortform interviews with players, social-native formats that capture fan energy and culture, and other highlights and storytelling opportunities that elevate the unforgettable experiences surrounding college football’s biggest games of the season.”
As for TNT’s studio coverage, Adam Lefkoe will assume hosting duties alongside analysts Champ Bailey, Takeo Spikes, and Victor Cruz. The crew will be on-site in Eugene, OR for James Madison-Oregon.
ESPN will handle game production for each of TNT’s first round contests. Joe Tessitore, Jesse Palmer, Katie George and Quint Kessenich will call Tulane-Ole Miss, while Bob Wischusen, Louis Riddick, Kris Budden and Stormy Buonantony will call James Madison-Oregon.
Beginning next season, TNT Sports will gain two quarterfinals games and one semifinal game as part of its sublicense agreement with ESPN, vastly expanding its CFP footprint.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.