UFL coverage across ESPN platforms for the 2025 season will be led by three teams featuring a lineup of returning voices from the UFL’s inaugural season, alongside signature college football personalities making their spring football debuts.
Audio, Action & Access
In addition to a play-by-play commentator and analyst in the booth, each team will feature a pair of sideline analysts, providing key insights from the unique vantage point and in-the-moment interviews with players and coaches immediately after key plays, bringing fans even closer to the action. The sideline teams offer high-level playing and coaching experience at both the college and professional levels.
Teams will cover ESPN’s full 22-game slate across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes. These games will also be available on ESPN+.
Select games in Spanish will air across ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ with schedule and commentator team details, featuring rotating two-person teams, to be announced soon.
Bryan Jaroch, ESPN Vice President, Sports Production
“The UFL on ESPN takes fans inside the game in innovative and engaging ways, led by unprecedented sideline communication with players and coaches, halftime access, going inside play calls and the review process in real time, ESPN BET integration and so much more. Working closely with the league, we look forward to another season of showcasing the high level of play, while redefining what’s possible in live sports production across our platforms.”
2025 UFL on ESPN Commentator Teams
*Returning voices from ESPN’s 2024 UFL coverage
Team 1: Joe Tessitore | Jordan Rodgers | Tom Luginbill* | Sam Acho*
Premier ESPN and ABC college football play-by-play voice Joe Tessitore will be joined by former Vanderbilt QB and SEC Network analyst Jordan Rodgers in the booth, both making their UFL debut. College football insider and 2001 XFL Championship-winning QB coach Tom Luginbill, and NFL veteran and college football analyst Sam Acho will return as sideline analysts. Both are spring football experts who contributed to ESPN’s 2024 UFL and 2023 XFL coverage.
Team 2: Mark Jones | Roy Philpott* | Roddy Jones | Cole Cubelic* | Harry Douglas*
Veteran ESPN college football and NBA voice Mark Jones will split play-by-play duties in his debut UFL season with returning commentator Roy Philpott. They will be joined by former Georgia Tech standout and ESPN college football analyst Roddy Jones in the booth. From the field, former Auburn offensive lineman/captain and SEC Network analyst Cole Cubelic and 10-year NFL veteran Harry Douglas bring a deep level of collegiate and NFL expertise as they return to their UFL analyst roles for the 2025 season.
Team 3: Lowell Galindo* | Kirk Morrison* | Eric Mac Lain* | Aaron Murray
Spring football experts lead the call from the booth with play-by-play voice Lowell Galindo alongside analyst and NFL veteran Kirk Morrison, returning for their third and second seasons of spring football coverage on ESPN, respectively. The duo will be joined on the field by former college football standouts at Clemson and Georgia, respectively, with returning UFL analyst, ACC Network’s Eric Mac Lain, and SEC Network’s Aaron Murray, making his spring football debut.
UFL Kickoff on ESPN Platforms
ESPN’s schedule gets underway during UFL’s 2025 opening weekend on Sunday, March 30, with a doubleheader featuring the Michigan Panthers at the Memphis Showboats (12 p.m. ET), followed by the defending UFL Champion Birmingham Stallions traveling to take on the D.C. Defenders (3 p.m.).
ABC’s 12-game slate begins Week 2 on Saturday, April 5, when the Defenders host the Showboats under the lights in primetime at 8 p.m. It all culminates with ABC and ESPN+’s inaugural presentation of the UFL Championship in primetime (June 14 | 8 p.m.).