CBS Sports lead college football analyst Gary Danielson on Wednesday announced his forthcoming retirement at the conclusion of the 2025 college football season. Danielson, who will complete his 20th year with CBS Sports, stands as the longest-tenured college football game analyst on any network.
Longtime broadcaster Charles Davis will replace Danielson as lead analyst alongside Brad Nessler and Jenny Dell at the start of the 2026 college football season.
Danielson, 73, was hired as the primary college football analyst at CBS Sports in 2006 after stints at ESPN and ABC Sports. The former Purdue and NFL quarterback joined Verne Lundquist as the faces of “SEC on CBS” broadcasts for nearly two decades. Nessler took over play-by-play responsibilities in 2017.
In 2025, CBS ended its relationship with the SEC with the Big Ten taking over the signature 3:30 p.m. ET time slot every Saturday as Danielson returned to covering the conference that made him a star when he led the Boilermakers from 1969-72.
“I have had the greatest seat in the house for 36 years and have loved every minute of it,” said Danielson of his retirement decision. “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.”
Danielson will remain with CBS throughout the 2025 season while Davis continues his role as an NFL broadcaster for the 2025-26 season. Davis will then slide alongside Nessler for “Big Ten on CBS” broadcasts in 2026.
“Gary Danielson is simply one of the greatest college football analysts ever and an even better teammate,” said David Berson, president and CEO of CBS Sports. “Gary cares more about uplifting others and ensuring the team receives all the accolades. During his 20 years here, he helped propel CBS Sports to the gold standard in college football coverage. We can’t thank him enough; he will always be part of the CBS Sports family and wish him the best in retirement.”
Davis has emerged as a respected broadcaster over more than two decades on national television. The former Tennessee running back served as the lead college football analyst at Fox Sports where he called the 2007-09 BCS Championship Games. He previously worked as a sidelines reporter at CBS Sports in 2001-02 during the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournaments and returned to the network in 2020 as a top NFL analyst. His signature voice has also been use din the “Madden NFL” video game series since 2017.
“For the past two decades, Charles has been among the best analysts across the NFL and college football,” Berson said. “He’s well known to fans, from calling college football national championships to NFL playoff games to the voice of ‘Madden NFL.’
“We’re thrilled Charles will be returning to his roots — college football — and calling our top Big Ten game each week.”
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