With celebrities flocking to Chapel Hill for Bill Belichick's North Carolina coaching debut, the Tar Heels are the center of the college football world for at least one night.
Given the standalone nature of the game, many expected to hear top ESPN play-by-play broadcaster Chris Fowler to call the game alongside Kirk Herbstreit. Instead, Rece Davis is taking Fowler's place as North Carolina tries to fend off a TCU team hungry for a resurgent season.
Davis, the host of ESPN's "College GameDay," has plenty of experience as a play-by-play broadcaster despite his notoriety for his work on the network's beloved Saturday morning show.
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Here's what you need to know about Fowler's absence from Monday's broadcast.
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Where is Chris Fowler?
Fowler is in New York to call the US Open for ESPN, so he was not able to be on the broadcast for Monday's contest between North Carolina and TCU. Davis, who hosted "College GameDay" on Saturday morning but didn't have another assignment during Week 1, will instead be on the call with Herbstreit.
Fowler has stayed busy in the early days of the college football season, which coincide with the middle of the US Open. He appeared on "College GameDay" to pay tribute to his friend and longtime colleague, Lee Corso, before traveling with Herbstreit to call LSU's road win over Clemson on Saturday night. After the game, Fowler jetted off to New York to continue calling US Open matches.
Rather than pull Fowler off his US Open assignment again as the tournament nears a conclusion, ESPN is pairing Davis with Herbstreit for Belichick's highly-anticipated debut as a college head coach.
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UNC vs. TCU announcers
Rece Davis and Kirk Herbstreit will be on the call for North Carolina's matchup with TCU. While Fowler and Herbstreit typically operate as ESPN's top college football broadcast team, Davis and Herbstreit have plenty of chemistry from their time together on the "College GameDay" panel.
The matchup is Herbstreit's second game of the weekend, as he was in the booth alongside Fowler for LSU vs. Clemson on Saturday night.
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Why is Rece Davis on UNC vs. TCU broadcast with Kirk Herbstreit?
With Fowler in New York and not an option for Monday night's game, ESPN opted to turn to one of its most recognizable voices rather than giving another broadcaster a second game from the weekend.
Davis is better known as the host of "College GameDay" but he has play-by-play roots and called two college football games for ESPN early last season.
Davis filled in for Fowler under similar circumstances when USC faced LSU in Las Vegas on Labor Day Weekend in 2024, and he also called a matchup between Tennessee and NC State in Week 2 before returning to his typical role.
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