Tennessee football heads back on the road this week when they face rival Alabama on the Third Saturday in October. Kickoff at Bryant-Denny Stadium is at 7:30 p.m. ET with ABC broadcasting the SEC showdown.
On the call for Alabama-Tennessee on ABC— play-by-play announcer Sean McDonough, former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy and sideline reporter Molly McGrath. The Third Saturday in October will be the first time that the group has called a Tennessee game this season. However, it is the second straight season that McDonough, McElroy, McGrath crew have announced the rivalry matchup.
While the game is in the ABC primetime slot, ESPN is using its No. 2 announcing crew. The top crew of Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Holly Rowe are announcing the Ole Miss-Georgia matchup in Athens. ESPN’s College Gameday is also heading to Athens for the rivalry matchup.
It’s strange that Tennessee-Alabama is in the primetime slot but the top announcing crew is going to Ole Miss-Georgia. Especially because Alabama knocked off Missouri and Tennessee knocked off Arkansas in the week since they announced the time slot.
McElroy played quarterback at Alabama from 2007-2010 and was the starting quarterback for the Crimson Tide’s first National Championship team under Nick Saban back in 2009. He went on to have a brief NFL career for the New York Jets before getting into sports media.
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The former Alabama quarterback has called games for ESPN for years, hosts the “Always College Football Podcast” for Omaha Productions and is the co-host of the McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning Show in Birmingham radio.
It was on the radio show when McElroy was incredibly critical of Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello after the Vols won the National Championship back in 2024. In a nearly two minute rant, McElory called Vitello’s “antics” embarrassing.
“I just wish he doesn’t have the antics that he does,” McElroy said. “He’s like a WWE character and it’s embarrassing. Seriously, to be an adult and I’d be appalled. I really would. I know he wins and he’s great and the kids love him and all that stuff but if that was the leader of my organization I’d have to have a little talking to him. It’s unbelievable.”
McElroy apologized for his comments about Vitello the following day.
“I took my shot at them yesterday and it was unnecessary,” McElroy said. “My frustrations about where we’re at in society boiled over. It was unnecessary.”
Tennessee’s matchup at Alabama is the first time the Vols have played in a night game this season. Josh Heupel’s squad has played two games in the noon time slot and four games in the afternoon time slot so far this season.
