ESPN hires veteran head coach Steve Addazio as college football analyst

A longtime college football head coach has decided to join ESPN, the company reported in an official press release on Friday evening. “We are excited to welcome Steve Addazio to our talented roster of analysts,” said Amanda Gifford, ESPN vice president of production. “Steve’s vast experience and enthusiasm for college football make him a perfect fit for our coverage and we look forward to having him join us in the booth this fall.”

His extensive college football career includes head coaching tenures with Boston College, Temple, and Colorado State, as well as assistant stints with Syracuse, Indiana, Notre Dame, and Florida. With the Gators, he won two BCS National Championships under Urban Meyer. In the 2022-2023 season, Addazio worked as the offensive line coach for the Texas A&M Aggies.

He played his college football with Central Connecticut from 1978 to 1981, becoming a four-year starter. Once he moved onto the NFL, he earned tryouts from the New England Patriots, USFL’s Jacksonville Bulls, and the CFL’s Ottawa Rough Riders.

Addazio shared: “I’m honored to join ESPN and share my love for college football with viewers across the country. I’m eager to utilize my coaching experience in a new way and bring my perspective and passion to the commentary booth.”

He will make his debut with ESPN in Week 1 of ESPN’s college football coverage alongside play-by-play commentator Clay Matvick. A full announcement of ESPN’s college football commentary teams will be made sometime in early August.

Addazio spent most of his head coaching tenure with the Boston College Eagles. His best season there came in 2018, when he went 7-5 overall and 4-4 in the ACC. During his seven seasons there, Addazio finished 44-44 overall and 22-34 in the MAC.

His best season as a head coach came with the Temple Owls in 2011, when he went 9-4 overall and 5-3 in the MAC. Addazio helped guide the Owls to a bowl victory over the New Mexico Lobos that year. It was their first bowl victory since the 1979 Garden State Bowl.

The Owls were fueled by their star tailback, Bernard Pierce in the 2011 season. He piled up 1,481 yards and 27 touchdowns. Then they also had their speedy and shifty tailback, Matt Brown, who racked up 916 yards and six touchdowns. Once the dust had settled on their 2011 campaign, the Owls had piled up 3,335 total rushing yards and 38 touchdowns on the ground. They averaged 256.54 rushing yards per game that year, ranking them seventh in the nation in that stat category.