The SEC Network Saturday night game isn’t the most coveted time slot in college football, but over the years, it’s become one of our favorites. That’s in part because Kentucky drew it so often, but staying up late on a Saturday was always worth it because we got to hear from Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers, and Cole Cubelic. The trio’s chemistry, knowledge, and ability to make even the most dreadful game entertaining endeared them to BBN and SEC football fans everywhere for the past nine years. Sadly, their time together has come to an end.
On Wednesday, Front Office Sports reported that ESPN is switching up its lead SEC and ACC Network broadcasting teams. Matt Schumacker and Aaron Murray will now be the SEC Network’s top crew, taking over the Saturday night spot, as Jordan Rodgers moves to an “elevated” role in the ESPN/ABC games. Rodgers will also be leaving “SEC Nation,” with Chase Daniel taking his spot.
What does this mean for Tom Hart and Cole Cubelic? Good question. According to his Instagram story, Hart is on a beach right now, so I’m sure he’s coping just fine. Cubelic tweeted that he had a rough Wednesday for a variety of reasons. Both have roles outside the SEC Saturday Night slot; Hart calls baseball and college basketball, and Cubelic co-hosts “Read and React” with Roman Harper and his daily radio show in Birmingham with Greg McElroy. Surely, they’ll get different assignments, but the fact that ESPN is breaking up the trio truly sucks, as evidenced by the backlash on social media.
The best, and longest standing broadcasting trio in college football broadcasting was broken up, which is a massive bummer when you understand why Tom Hart, Cole Cubelic and Jordan Rodgers worked so well together:https://t.co/uX4YQAeyZO
— Connor O’Gara (@cjogara) June 25, 2026
Breaking up Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers and Cole Cubelic is just mind boggling.
They were the absolute best and will be missed.
The goal of a team is to make it sound like friends sitting together and enjoying a game.
They were perfect. I hate to see this. https://t.co/8lxLEVc2kJ
— Brad Logan (@BradLoganTOC) June 24, 2026
Hard to process breaking up Tom, Cole and Jordan. Been the best group in broadcasting for almost a decade imo.
Find three people that will entertain you for 3-4 hours on Saturday and make a 42-13 UGA/Vandy game feel like appointment television.
Absolutely sucks https://t.co/kTvSHrQDID
— Chris Marler (@Vern_Funquist) June 24, 2026
In other ESPN news, Dave Flemming is also leaving the network, putting an end to our jokes about how Matt Jones can magically be in two places at once. Add in the news about SEC Saturday Night and Laura Rutledge leaving her post as host of “SEC Nation,” and college football Saturdays are going to look a little different.
For now, enjoy this 2021 feature by Connor O’Gara about Hart, Rodgers, and Cubelic and the hard work and chemistry that made them a fan favorite for almost a decade.
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