# Greg McElroy
**Greg McElroy** is an American college football analyst for ESPN and ABC and a former quarterback who led the [Alabama Crimson Tide](https://www.edgepedia.org/alabama-crimson-tide) to the 2010 BCS National Championship before a brief NFL career with the [New York Jets](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-jets) and [Cincinnati Bengals](https://www.edgepedia.org/cincinnati-bengals).[1](https://espnpressroom.com/bio/greg-mcelroy/) He serves as one of ESPN's primary college football analysts for Saturday games on ABC/ESPN and enters his 11th season calling games for the networks in 2026.[1](https://espnpressroom.com/bio/greg-mcelroy/) • [2](https://espnpressroom.com/press-release/espn-unveils-2026-27-college-football-commentator-teams/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Playing career | Alabama quarterback 2007–2011; 24–3 record as a starter; led the Crimson Tide to the 2010 BCS National Championship and the 2009 SEC Championship, in which he was named MVP[1](https://espnpressroom.com/bio/greg-mcelroy/) |
| NFL career | Drafted in the seventh round (208th overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft by the New York Jets; appeared in two games in 2012, throwing for 214 yards and a touchdown; retired from the Cincinnati Bengals in 2013[3](https://footballfoundation.org/hof_scholars.aspx?hof=6) |
| Broadcasting | Joined ESPN in 2014 as an SEC Network analyst; primary game analyst on ABC/ESPN; co-hosts *McElroy & Cubelic in the Morning* on WJOX in Birmingham and hosts the *Always College Football* podcast[1](https://espnpressroom.com/bio/greg-mcelroy/) |
| 2026-27 booth | Pairs with play-by-play voice Sean McDonough and reporter Katie George, his fourth season with McDonough[2](https://espnpressroom.com/press-release/espn-unveils-2026-27-college-football-commentator-teams/) |
| Academics | 2010 ESPN/CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year; Rhodes Scholarship finalist in 2010; master's degree in sports management (2010) with a 4.0 GPA[1](https://espnpressroom.com/bio/greg-mcelroy/) |
| Physical profile | Height 6-2, weight 225 pounds[4](https://www.nfl.com/players/greg-mcelroy/) |
## Playing career at Alabama
McElroy was an Alabama quarterback from 2007 to 2011 and led the Crimson Tide to the 2010 BCS National Championship.[1](https://espnpressroom.com/bio/greg-mcelroy/) He previously guided Alabama to the 2009 SEC Championship and was named the game's MVP.[1](https://espnpressroom.com/bio/greg-mcelroy/) He finished his college career with a 24–3 record.[1](https://espnpressroom.com/bio/greg-mcelroy/)
**The 2009 season.** During the 2009 campaign, McElroy led a unit that piled up more scrimmage yardage than any other Alabama team over the program's 118 years, and he posted the school's best-ever interception rate, second only among all SEC campaigns.[3](https://footballfoundation.org/hof_scholars.aspx?hof=6) That season he completed 137 of 194 passes for 1,781 yards with 11 touchdowns and was named a Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award finalist.[3](https://footballfoundation.org/hof_scholars.aspx?hof=6)
**The 2010 season.** As a senior, McElroy completed 70.6 percent of his passes (206 of 296) for 2,767 yards and a school-record 19 touchdowns against five interceptions, ranked sixth nationally in passing efficiency at 166.94, and was a finalist for the Unitas Golden Arm Award.[5](https://rolltide.com/documents/download/2010/12/28/2010-c1b-media-guide.pdf) His career rate of one interception per 64.1 attempts was the best mark in school and SEC history at the time.[5](https://rolltide.com/documents/download/2010/12/28/2010-c1b-media-guide.pdf) ESPN and CoSIDA selected him as their 2010 Academic All-American of the Year while also placing him on the first Academic All-American team, and the National Football Foundation honored him as the sixth NFF National Scholar-Athlete from Alabama.[1](https://espnpressroom.com/bio/greg-mcelroy/) • [3](https://footballfoundation.org/hof_scholars.aspx?hof=6)
## NFL career
The New York Jets drafted McElroy in the seventh round, 208th overall, of the 2011 NFL Draft.[1](https://espnpressroom.com/bio/greg-mcelroy/) • [3](https://footballfoundation.org/hof_scholars.aspx?hof=6) He appeared in two games for the Jets in 2012, throwing for 214 yards and a touchdown.[3](https://footballfoundation.org/hof_scholars.aspx?hof=6) His NFL debut came on December 2, 2012, when he replaced [Mark Sanchez](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-sanchez) and threw his first career touchdown pass, to Jeff Cumberland.[6](https://populartimelines.com/timeline/Greg-McElroy/career-achievements) After one season with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2013, he retired from the NFL.[3](https://footballfoundation.org/hof_scholars.aspx?hof=6) Pro-Football-[Reference](https://www.edgepedia.org/reference) records his career as two games played.[7](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/McElGr00.htm)
## Broadcasting career
McElroy joined ESPN in 2014 as an SEC Network analyst and teamed with [Marcus Spears](https://www.edgepedia.org/marcus-spears-defensive-end) for the launch of *Thinking Out Loud*, which the duo co-hosted for two seasons.[1](https://espnpressroom.com/bio/greg-mcelroy/) He served as an analyst for ABC and ESPN's coverage of the XFL in 2020, alongside play-by-play commentator [Steve Levy](https://www.edgepedia.org/steve-levy), field analyst Tom Luginbill, and sideline reporter [Dianna Russini](https://www.edgepedia.org/dianna-russini), and returned as an ESPN XFL analyst for the 2023 season.[1](https://espnpressroom.com/bio/greg-mcelroy/)
His current roles span game coverage, studio work, radio, and podcasting. He is one of ESPN's primary college football analysts for Saturday games on ABC/ESPN, appears regularly on studio programming including *College Football Live* and *SportsCenter*, co-hosts *McElroy & Cubelic in the Morning* on WJOX in [Birmingham](https://www.edgepedia.org/birmingham) with fellow ESPN analyst Cole Cubelic, and hosts ESPN and Omaha Productions' *Always College Football* podcast.[1](https://espnpressroom.com/bio/greg-mcelroy/) McElroy has credited his radio work, both on satellite and locally at WJOX, with strengthening his television presence.[8](https://barrettmedia.com/2026/03/05/how-greg-mcelroy-found-his-voice-at-wjox-94-5-after-winning-it-all-at-alabama/)
**The McDonough booth.** For the 2026-27 season, McElroy pairs with play-by-play voice [Sean McDonough](https://www.edgepedia.org/sean-mcdonough) and reporter [Katie George](https://www.edgepedia.org/katie-george-sportscaster), the first season for that three-person team and McElroy's fourth with McDonough.[2](https://espnpressroom.com/press-release/espn-unveils-2026-27-college-football-commentator-teams/) ESPN describes him as a regular on *College Football Live* and the College Football Playoff Top 25 in addition to his game and podcast duties.[2](https://espnpressroom.com/press-release/espn-unveils-2026-27-college-football-commentator-teams/)
## Education and background
McElroy graduated from the [University of Alabama](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-alabama) in three years with a degree in business marketing and earned a [Master of Science](https://www.edgepedia.org/master-of-science) degree in sports management in 2010, finishing with a 4.0 GPA.[1](https://espnpressroom.com/bio/greg-mcelroy/) Often cited as a cerebral quarterback for his intelligence, he was a [Rhodes Scholarship](https://www.edgepedia.org/rhodes-scholarship) finalist in 2010.[1](https://espnpressroom.com/bio/greg-mcelroy/) He is from Arlington, Texas.[1](https://espnpressroom.com/bio/greg-mcelroy/) As a student he volunteered with Read Across America, Habitat for Humanity, the West Alabama Food Bank, and Hospice of West Alabama, and served on the university's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.[3](https://footballfoundation.org/hof_scholars.aspx?hof=6)
## References
1. [Greg McElroy bio, ESPN Press Room](https://espnpressroom.com/bio/greg-mcelroy/)
2. [ESPN unveils 2026-27 college football commentator teams, ESPN Press Room](https://espnpressroom.com/press-release/espn-unveils-2026-27-college-football-commentator-teams/)
3. [Greg McElroy (2010), Hall of Fame, National Football Foundation](https://footballfoundation.org/hof_scholars.aspx?hof=6)
4. [Greg McElroy Stats, News and Video, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/players/greg-mcelroy/)
5. [Alabama 2010 football media guide, rolltide.com](https://rolltide.com/documents/download/2010/12/28/2010-c1b-media-guide.pdf)
6. [Greg McElroy career timeline, Popular Timelines](https://populartimelines.com/timeline/Greg-McElroy/career-achievements)
7. [Greg McElroy, Pro-Football-Reference](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/McElGr00.htm)
8. [How Greg McElroy Found His Voice at WJOX 94.5 After Winning It All at Alabama, Barrett Media](https://barrettmedia.com/2026/03/05/how-greg-mcelroy-found-his-voice-at-wjox-94-5-after-winning-it-all-at-alabama/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Broadcasting and journalism › Broadcast organizations and stations › Broadcasters as people › Sports announcers and team broadcasters › American football broadcasters*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license