CBS Sports' Gary Danielson announces plan to retire after 2025 college football season

CBS Sports’ Gary Danielson announced he will retire after the 2025 college football season. A long time color analyst, Danielson has long been associated with SEC football and recently the Big Ten.

Danielson is the longest-tenured college football game analyst following 36 years in television. He currently works with play-by-play man Brad Nessler.

Danielson has been with CBS since February of 2006, originally partnered with the legendary Verne Lundquist. Once the latter retired, he was partnered with Nessler.

Gary Danielson announces retirement as CBS Sports’ lead college football analyst following the 2025 season.

Charles Davis to succeed Danielson beginning in 2026.

Full release: https://t.co/EimlNFUhj6 pic.twitter.com/94SjfBQyko

— CBS Sports PR (@CBSSportsGang) March 26, 2025

“I have had the greatest seat in the house for 36 years and have loved every minute of it,” Danielson said in a release. “I have discussed the timing of this moment with CBS Sports leadership over the past few years and we felt it was important I remained with the team during our transition to the Big Ten. As we enter our second full season of Big Ten football and my 20th at CBS Sports, the timing just feels right. I have so much respect for Charles Davis as both a person and an analyst.

“He is going to shine in this role and fit so well with this team. I have been blessed to work with incredible teammates throughout my career and I look forward to one more memorable season with Brad, Jenny, Craig Silver, Steve Milton and the crew.”

As Danielson said, CBS’ Charles Davis will succeed him as the lead college football analyst. Davis will continue on NFL on CBS during the 2025-26 season.

Danielson’s received six Sports Emmy Awards nominations for his work in broadcasting, which spanned nearly four decades at multiple networks. It actually began in Cleveland during his playing days.

A former quarterback, Danielson played in the CFL and World Football League before playing for the Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns. The Purdue alum co-hosted a sports talk show while with the Browns and then was hired in Detroit as a sports reporter and even a pre-game host for Detroit Tigers’ games.

In that same year of 1990, Danielson joined ESPN as an analyst for the network’s Saturday night collgege football games. He remained with them and eventually switched to ABC Sports, where he remained until 2005. That’s when Danielson went to CBS Sports.