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OnAir Personality: Emmanuel Acho

Thursday, August 26, 2021

FOX Sports Unveils 2021 College Football On-Air Roster

Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt & Jenny Taft Return for BIG NOON SATURDAY Game of the Week

National Champion and Longtime Oklahoma Head Coach Bob Stoops Joins Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart, Brady Quinn & Rob Stone on BIG NOON KICKOFF

LOS ANGELES – FOX owns the fall, starting with college football Saturdays, led by some of college football’s best and brightest. Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt and Jenny Taft reunite for the fifth consecutive year to call BIG NOON SATURDAY, the network’s biggest game of the week at 12:00 PM ET. Today’s announcement was made by Brad Zager, Executive Producer, Executive Vice President/Head of Production and Operations, FOX Sports.

Johnson, Klatt and Taft open the season Thursday, Sept. 2, at 8:00 PM ET when Ohio State takes on Minnesota in Minneapolis before heading to Madison, WI, on Saturday, Sept. 4, for Penn State at Wisconsin at 12:00 PM ET on FOX.

The trio is joined in Minneapolis and Madison by the BIG NOON KICKOFF crew, featuring host Rob Stone, alongside college football legends Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart, Brady Quinn and Bob Stoops. BIG NOON KICKOFF is on-site for the first four weeks of FOX Sports’ college football season, bringing the show on the road to stadiums and tailgates across the nation.

In addition, Clay Travis serves as a special correspondent on BIG NOON KICKOFF, interviewing top players, coaches and fans from the biggest games in the south each week. Co-host of FS1’s SPEAK FOR YOURSELF, Emmanuel Acho, and former University of Washington head coach, Chris Petersen, also contribute to FOX Sports’ college football studio coverage. College football insider Bruce Feldman makes regular studio appearances and reports from the sidelines throughout the season.

Play-by-play announcer Joe Davis and former NFL quarterback and analyst Brock Huard kick off FOX Sports’ 2021 live college football coverage with a highly anticipated Week 0 matchup between Nebraska and Illinois this Saturday, August 28, at 1:00 PM ET on FOX. The duo then heads to Los Angeles for LSU-UCLA on Saturday, September 4, at 8:30 PM ET on FOX from the Rose Bowl.

Broadcast partners Tim Brando and Spencer Tillman enter their seventh year together for FOX Sports, opening the season in Austin, TX, with a Louisiana-Texas tilt on Saturday, Sept. 4, at 4:30 PM ET on FOX.

On Friday, Sept. 3, analyst and former University of Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner makes his FOX Sports debut alongside play-by-play broadcaster Eric Collins for South Dakota State-Colorado State at 9:00 PM ET on FS1.

Former Oregon head coach and Pac-12 champion Mark Helfrich provides analysis with play-by-play announcer Aaron Goldsmith beginning with Stanford vs. K-State at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX, Saturday, Sept. 4, at 12:00 PM ET on FS1.

Veteran analyst and former NFL running back Robert Smith partners with play-by-play announcer Cory Provus for Oregon State-Purdue, Saturday Sept. 4, at 7:00 PM ET on FS1.

Rounding out FOX Sports’ Week 1 coverage, play-by-play broadcaster Alex Faust and former USC standout and analyst Petros Papadakis are on the call when Nevada takes on Cal, Saturday, Sept. 4, at 10:30 PM ET on FS1.

FOX Sports’ confirmed 2021 fall college football schedule is available here. The remainder of the schedule will be announced as the season progresses.

Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Emmanuel Acho

Former NFL linebacker, Emmy-winning broadcaster and New York Times bestselling author Emmanuel Acho co-hosts the FS1 original program THE FACILITY. He also contributes to FOX Sports’ college football studio coverage, alongside former University of Washington head coach Chris Petersen and reporter Bruce Feldman.

Acho was taken in the sixth round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns after a four-year college career with the Texas Longhorns. After spending four seasons in the NFL, largely with the Philadelphia Eagles, he transitioned into broadcasting as an analyst for the Longhorn Network in 2016. Acho quickly emerged as one of the sport’s preeminent voices and made the leap to ESPN in 2018, appearing on college football Saturday programming as well as the network’s studio shows. In 2019, he was recognized for his exemplary on-air work as a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, and in 2021, he was honored with a Sports Emmy for Outstanding Sports Personality/Emerging On Air Talent.

Outside of broadcasting, Acho is well known for his advocacy work, most recently producing a video series titled “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man,” which opened a virtual conversation with white America to educate and inform on racism and social injustice. The series has been a resounding success, winning a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction Or Reality Series in 2021 and debuting with over 22 million views across social media platforms. Acho has since partnered with Oprah Winfrey and Macmillian Publishers for a two book deal, beginning with “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man,” which debuted on the New York Times best-seller list upon its release in November 2020. His second book, “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Boy,” an engaging children’s book whose aim is opening a dialogue about systemic racism, was released in May 2021.

Acho also takes an active role in his family’s non-profit organization, Living Hope Christian Ministries, which provides medical care to rural communities in Nigeria.

A Dallas native, Acho holds a bachelor’s degree in sports management and a master’s degree in sports psychology from The University of Texas at Austin.

Friday, December 23, 2016

SPEAK

Weekdays at 5:00 PM ET on FS1