Klatt Elevated to Lead Game Analyst as FOX Sports Unveils Lineup for 2015 College Football Season

The 2015 college football season is unofficially underway as conferences across the country assemble for their annual media days. Geared up for another exciting season of action, FOX Sports readies itself for kickoff, today announcing its roster of game and studio broadcasters for the 2015 season. Highlighting today’s announcement Joel Klatt joins play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson to become FOX Sports’ lead college football broadcast team. Klatt takes over for Charles Davis, who moves to the NFL on FOX. The announcement was made by John Entz, President of Production, FOX Sports.

“We are absolutely thrilled to name Joel as our new lead game analyst,” Entz said. “Over the last several years, Joel has become one of the best and most respected voices in the game, and he is truly deserving of this position. In addition, Brady and Matt have proved to be tremendous assets to FOX Sports since joining the network last season, and we are very excited to have them with us in expanded roles.”

A standout quarterback who set 44 school records at Colorado from 2002 to 2005, Klatt teams with Johnson, who has served as FOX Sports’ lead college football play-by-play voice since joining the network in 2001, and sideline reporter Molly McGrath. The trio’s first assignment comes on Thursday, Sept. 3, as Utah hosts Michigan on FOX Sports 1 (7:30 PM ET) – the inaugural game of Jim Harbaugh’s head coaching career at Michigan.

Klatt has been a member of the FOX Sports family since 2007 when he worked as a studio host for FOX Sports Southwest’s college football coverage. In 2009, he was assigned a package of games for FOX Sports Net, and in 2013, coinciding with the launch of FOX Sports 1, he moved to the national stage as a studio and game analyst for the network. Klatt has called Thursday and Friday college football games on FOX Sports 1 and worked in studio for college football pregame, halftime and postgame shows on FOX Sports 1 and FOX broadcast network. He has also covered the NFL, serving as the host of FOX Sports 1’s FOX NFL KICKOFF. Additionally, Klatt has enhanced his presence as a respected NFL Draft analyst and has been a regular contributor to FOX Sports 1’s flagship studio news programs AMERICA’S PREGAME and FOX SPORTS LIVE.

Having made his debut as a broadcaster in the booth for college football and NFL on FOX in 2014, former two-time Notre Dame All-American and Heisman Trophy finalist Brady Quinn, who set 36 school records while under center for the Fighting Irish, receives a full slate of college assignments this season and moves to the NFL booth once the collegiate season is complete. During the 2015 college season, Quinn teams with announcer Joe Davis, one the top emerging play-by-play voices in the industry, and sideline reporter Kris Budden.

Also returning to call games for FOX Sports this season is veteran college football and college basketball play-by-play broadcaster Tim Brando, who joined the network prior to the 2014 campaign.

Taking over for Klatt at the studio desk is Matt Leinart, one of the most decorated college football players in history. A two-time All-American, national champion and Heisman Trophy winner (2004) at USC, Leinart becomes a permanent fixture on the FOX COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREGAME, halftime and postgame shows, joining former NCAA and NFL head coach Dave Wannstedt and host Rob Stone in the studio. Leinart made his debut with FOX Sports in 2014, serving as an analyst on the Friday night college football preview show, FOX SPORTS LIVE: COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF.

FOX Sports continues to boast some of the top college football insiders as part of its coverage, as Bruce Feldman, Stewart Mandel and Clay Travis once again contribute to the studio shows and maintain a familiar presence on FOXSports.com.

In addition, analyst Petros Papadakis and rules expert Mike Pereira contribute to FOX Sports’ wide-ranging college football coverage, as they and the rest of the network’s analysts appear regularly in studio on game days and on FOX Sports 1 signature programs AMERICA’S PREGAME and FOX SPORTS LIVE, offering their expertise.

FOX Sports kicks off the 2015 college football season with seven games over four days on Labor Day weekend, including the highly anticipated debut of Harbaugh as head coach at his alma mater when the Wolverines travel to Salt Lake City to open the season against Utah on Thursday, Sept. 3 (7:30 PM ET) on FOX Sports 1. That exciting matchup is one of nearly 100 games telecast on FOX Sports’ national and regional platforms, comprising a schedule that features top contests from the Big 12, Pac-12 and Conference USA on FOX broadcast network, FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports Networks (FSN), FOX College Sports (FCS), FOX Deportes and FOX Sports GO.