Johnson will break down the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic alongside three other college coachesgetty images
Recently retired Georgia Tech football coach Paul Johnson "will be a part" of ESPN’s MegaCast coverage of the CFP semifinals on Saturday, working as an analyst on ESPNews' “Coaches Film Room” for Clemson-Notre Dame in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, according to Ken Sugiura of the ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION. Johnson will "break down the game in real time" along with North Carolina's Mack Brown, Wake Forest's Dave Clawson and Memphis' Mike Norvell. The move will be a "great spot for Johnson to test his broadcasting chops." He is "rarely shy about sharing his opinion" and his "cutting sense of humor also would fit the program" (AJC.com, 12/27). In Boston, Chad Finn notes for Alabama-Oklahoma in the Capital One Orange Bowl, "Coaches Film Room" will feature Boston College's Steve Addazio, Arizona State's Herm Edwards, Boise State's Bryan Harsin and TCU's Gary Patterson. It will be interesting to see if Addazio or Harsin "address the strange ending to their teams’ seasons" after the cancellation of the Servpro First Responder Bowl on Wednesday (BOSTON GLOBE, 12/28).
EVERYTHING & MORE: In Tulsa, Bill Haisten notes the MegaCast provides viewers "myriad options on viewing the CFP semifinals," like all team's radio broadcasts being "synced with the ESPN telecast on ESPN3 and the ESPN App." The "Coaches Film Room" is among the "better gimmick platforms." While 10 or 12 cameras "might be in place for a typical big game, more than 50 cameras" are used for both semifinal telecasts. Meanwhile, debuting on Saturday is the "RefCam," which will see small cameras "attached to the hats of two officials" (TULSA WORLD, 12/28).
ON THE MIC: In Chicago, Phil Rosenthal notes Sean McDonough "will handle play-by-play" for Clemson-Notre Dame. McDonough is an "outstanding announcer because he tells what happens efficiently, knows how to share a story without gilding it." Never "pushing too hard, McDonough conveys the urgency, excitement and meaning of a moment absent the histrionics that can make an announcer stand out." He "feeds off energy rather than try to gin it up artificially and keeps the focus on the action." He is "not one to ignore something gone awry but judicious rather than simply picking fights" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 12/28).
