Strayhorn out, Caulcrick in as Michigan State shakes up its football radio broadcast booth
For nearly two decades, Jason Strayhorn’s voice has been a familiar companion to Michigan State football fans on the go. If your plans caused you to catch the Spartans on the radio, Strayhorn was there for you, adding his thoughts and commentary to the action on the field. From thrilling comebacks in East Lansing to heartbreaks on the road, Strayhorn brought a lineman’s perspective to the radio booth, narrating the highs and lows of a program he once helped anchor on the field.
Now, after 19 seasons as the color commentator alongside longtime play-by-play legend George Blaha, Strayhorn is being replaced by former Spartan running back Jehuu Caulcrick, who will take over as the new radio color analyst when Michigan State takes the field this fall.
“I’m surprised and disappointed,” Blaha told Spartans Illustrated Wednesday evening. “Jason will be a tough act to follow after all our years together.”
Strayhorn played center for MSU under coach Nick Saban, starting 24 consecutive games during the 1997–1998 seasons and serving as team captain in 1998, when he earned first-team All-Big Ten honors and the team’s “Up Front Award” as its top interior lineman. After graduating with a business management degree, Strayhorn returned to MSU in 2006 as a sideline analyst on the Spartan Radio Network. When Jim Miller retired several years later, Strayhorn was promoted to color analyst.
Miller’s last broadcast was the 2012 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl. Strayhorn’s color career began with the opener of the 2013 season, as the Spartans took on PJ Fleck’s Western Michigan Broncos.
Strayhorn has two sons who are looking to make waves in their own right on the football field: Kaden, who signed seven months ago to begin playing at the University of Michigan this fall, and Kody, a rising recruit (class of 2028) who is receiving attention from schools across the country.
Sources tell Spartans Illustrated that Strayhorn received his notice of contract non-renewal in May from Michigan State Sports Properties, a division of Playfly Sports Properties, the exclusive marketing and multimedia rights holder of MSU Athletics.
Spartans Illustrated reached out to both Strayhorn and a spokesperson for Michigan State University and neither wished to comment.
Caulcrick, a former MSU running back who played from 2004 to 2007, earned Freshman All-Big Ten honors in his first season and later formed a powerful backfield tandem with Javon Ringer. Known for his bruising style, Caulcrick tied the school record with 21 rushing touchdowns in his senior year and finished his collegiate career with 2,395 rushing yards and 39 touchdowns, the second-most in program history. He spent time with several NFL teams, including the Buffalo Bills, before transitioning into coaching and broadcasting. Until this promotion, he had served as a sideline reporter for three years on the Spartan Radio Network.
“I’m really excited to work alongside a hall-of-famer like George Blaha,” Caulcrick told Spartans Illustrated Wednesday afternoon. “He’s been doing it a long time. He’s truly the voice of the Spartans.
“This is something you can’t pass up, especially at your alma mater.” Caulcrick continued. “George is going to be there, painting the picture of what’s happening, and I have the opportunity to break down the picture that he painted.”
Caulcrick – who helped broadcast the Michigan Panthers inaugural season in the United Football League (UFL) – has reached out to a good friend of his, Lomas Brown, who does color commentary for the Detroit Lions, for some advice.
“I really believe in the coaching staff, in the program that they’re building, and I’m excited to be a small part of that program,” Caulcrick said. “I get to put my passion out there on every football Saturday.”