One of the key figures set to be a big part of ESPN and ABC’s expanded investment in the SEC is Kirk Herbstreit, long one of the primary faces of ESPN’s college football coverage. Despite the expiration of his contract in 2022, there’s no indication that the “College GameDay” analyst and half of the “Saturday Night Football” booth with former GameDay colleague Chris Fowler is going anywhere anytime soon, especially as the SEC’s game of the week shifts from CBS to ABC.

And it’s likely he and Fowler will be behind the mic for some of the SEC’s premier matchups, such as the Iron Bowl, Cocktail Party game between Florida and Georgia, and the SEC Championship Game, along with their duties as the voices of the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.

“I just cannot believe what a big deal and big opportunity this is for ESPN and ABC,” said Herbstreit. “I’ve been doing that Saturday night package now for 15 years … and we’ve had a lot huge moments and great moments … To think to have an opportunity to call some of those games in a conference I’ve had so much respect for, I can’t really put it into words what a huge opportunity this is for our company, and I know everybody is incredibly excited and appreciative of this relationship that we’ve already had, but just kind of taking it to a whole different level.”

It will admittedly take some getting used to with ABC and ESPN taking over coverage in full, but SEC fans are likely to see at least one familiar face on their television screens in the fall.