Sean McDonough has held numerous roles at ESPN but excels as a college football broadcaster. Although Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit are ESPN’s top college football announcing team, McDonough has proven himself to be a valuable asset for the network, which is why he and Greg McElroy were on the call for No. 2 Washington versus No. 3 Texas in Monday’s Sugar Bowl.
McDonough’s expertise, voice, humor, and professionalism have earned him a loyal following among college football fans. He’s widely considered one of the best in the business, and his presence on a broadcast is often seen as a sign of quality. That’s why it was no surprise that in our 2023 college football announcer rankings of over 20,000 votes, he and McElory ranked as the second-best college broadcast team across all major networks, second only to Fowler and Herbstreit.
McDonough had had his moments this season, including when he lamented Clemson kicker Jonathan Weitz’s failed Hollywood, ending with a quick quip about the WGA strike. While that was a fine moment for the veteran broadcaster, fans felt the Sugar Bowl was among his finer moments in the broadcast booth.
You want to know who else had a great night? Sean McDonough.
— Leslie M. (@FouhyStan) January 2, 2024
Sean McDonough is the perfect voice for this moment. One of the best in the business.
— Jordan Bondurant (@J__Bondurant) January 2, 2024
Sean McDonough is better than Fowler at PBP.
— Matt Bjorke (@mrbjorke) January 2, 2024
For me, Sean McDonough is the best play-by-play broadcaster in college football. Informative, engaging and has a wonderfully dry sense of humor
— Craig Meyer (@ByCraigMeyer) January 2, 2024
Really enjoy listening to Sean McDonough. Very thorough without being too hypey
— Tom Frederick (@tfredmuggs) January 2, 2024
Sean McDonough and Greg McElroy are better than Herby and Fowler… You're free to disagree but you'd be wrong.
— footballnut (@FootballnutRec) January 2, 2024
The way that Sean McDonough is able to be excited and raise his energy without yelling and while keeping his voice intact is so cool
— Nathan Strauss (@NathanPStrauss) January 2, 2024
This may be the 1st #CFBPlayoff game tonight for @GregMcElroy but it should not be the last. He is a terrific analyst–he and Sean McDonough are a great team. https://t.co/bd3uHw4qHT
— Al Bernstein (@AlBernstein) January 2, 2024
sean mcdonough’s name isn’t brought up enough when we talk about the best play-by-play voices in sports right now
— robbie triano (@TheTrianoKid) January 2, 2024
Sean mcdonough is a hell of broadcaster college football or MLB or whatever the sport the dudes awesome
— Joe Killeen (@JamminJoe2121) January 2, 2024
I like Sean McDonough across multiple sports.
— TD (@tdbearcat) January 2, 2024
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – Sean McDonough is an excellent college football announcer. I have no clue where the public falls on this issue
— STOP ADDING VOID YEARS (@joe_draft) January 2, 2024
The dry play-by-play humor of Sean McDonough will never get old IMO.
He’s an underrated gem.
— Matthew Stevens (@matthewcstevens) January 2, 2024
@damonbenning I think Sean McDonough maybe the most underrated play by play guy in the country. His pause before he gets excited is awesome. “Throwing deep and …… CAUGHT!!!!”
— Jamie (@Jamie4181) January 2, 2024
https://twitter.com/kraigkann/status/1742017770991043019?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1742017770991043019%7Ctwgr%5E65f0144bffd0e1de16b8400896d4999bda143f75%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Furl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fkraigkann%2Fstatus%2F1742017770991043019
I’ll say it every time he’s on: Sean McDonough is the best multi sport broadcaster in the business. #SugarBowl
— Dan Kelley (@DanKelley66) January 2, 2024
https://twitter.com/ChadinRipCity/status/1742010980903846234?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1742010980903846234%7Ctwgr%5E92ca88ce9704a2a313791e98200edee1b571a2ca%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Furl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FChadinRipCity%2Fstatus%2F1742010980903846234
Nothing better than Sean McDonough doing a big college game. Can be basketball or football.
— Zach Braziller (@NYPost_Brazille) January 2, 2024
There’s no better way to describe McDonough than as an “underrated gem,” as he’s consistently praised for his dry humor and ability to get excited and rise to the moment without yelling. Some argue that McDonough and his broadcasting partner, McElory, don’t give off the College Football Playoff vibes. However, many fans on social media agree that there are few things better than McDonough’s ability to call games across multiple sports, especially on the biggest stage.
McDonough’s stellar performance in the Sugar Bowl reminded many that perhaps he deserves more recognition, even among the college football giants. McDonough’s genuine passion for the game and seemingly effortless mastery of his craft make him a fan favorite and solidify his place as a top contender in the college football broadcasting landscape.
And in case you couldn’t get enough of McDonough, he, McElroy, Ian Fitzsimmons, and Kris Budden will be on the call for ESPN Radio for the College Football Playoff National Championship.
