Report: NBC to announce new team of Jac Collinsworth, Jason Garrett for Notre Dame coverage

NBC has been searching for replacements for its Notre Dame football broadcast to take over in place of Mike Tirico and Drew Brees, which was last year’s tandem. On Sunday, that search reportedly came to an end.

According to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, NBC has chosen Jac Collinsworth for play-by-play duties with Jason Garrett set to become the new game analyst.

Collinsworth is a graduate of Notre Dame, and he previously worked for ESPN before jumping over to ESPN. Garrett is a former NFL head coach, and most recently worked on staff with the New York Giants.

Notre Dame’s season opener is on the road against Ohio State in Week 1, and the first NBC broadcast is set for Saturday, September 10 against Marshall.

The Fighting Irish head into the 2022 season coming off of an impressive 2021 campaign. Notre Dame went 11-1 overall in the regular season, but fell to Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl to end the year at 11-2.

Notre Dame’s deal with NBC could impact further independence

As conference realignment has swarmed the offseason for the second consecutive year, Notre Dame finds itself right in the heart of the conversations. The Big Ten is considered a strong contender for Notre Dame if the Irish are willing to give up their football independence. With NBC likely to be the Big Ten’s next media rights deal, Notre Dame’s future continues to be talked about.

On The Paul Finebaum Show last week, Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger opened up on how that development could change things as the landscape changes. Ultimately, Notre Dame’s deal with NBC – which is set to expire in 2025 – could ultimately keep the Fighting Irish independent.

“It’s also good for Notre Dame,” Dellenger said. “NBC is having a bigger role in college football in that their only thing isn’t Notre Dame. Now, they have a bigger piece of college football, they are invested in college football, and I think that’s big for Notre Dame.

“And I think, Paul, it’s probably huge for Notre Dame in remaining independent. I think everybody that I’ve talked to in the college sports industry and within the TV industry has said this Big Ten deal with [NBC] getting a piece of the Big Ten only should keep Notre Dame as an independent longer.”