Sean McDonough named National Sport doscaster of the Year 2025
On Thursday, Greg McElroy surprised Sean McDonough by informing him that the National Sports Media Association has chosen the veteran ESPN play-by-play announcer as the 2025 National Sportscaster of the Year.
“We’re really excited about this.” This is simply amazing,” McElroy stated. “I couldn’t be more thrilled to be the one to break the news. And I don’t believe it could be more well-deserved. He is our leader. He is our patriarch. Sean McDonough is declared the 2025 NSMA Sportscaster of the Year.
McDonough joked that he was speechless for the first time in his life and planned to keep it “uncharacteristically brief.”
The comparison is apt. McDonough has been one of sports’ most diverse and skilled commentators for nearly 30 years, calling everything from the World Series to the Stanley Cup Finals to March Madness. However, national recognition had escaped him until now.
McDonough’s 2025 was defined by his work on college football, as he and McElroy rose to become ESPN’s second-most renowned team, trailing only Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit. The broadcast duo climbed to the top spot in Awful Announcing’s 2025 college football announcer rankings, rising from No. 2 a year ago. Their jump was powered by overwhelming support from voters, as they earned A, B, or C grades on 96% of all ballots and collected the most top-tier marks overall, with 439 A grades out of 699 total votes.
In a December column, Awful Announcing editor Matt Yoder praised Sean McDonough’s career longevity and versatility, noting that when McDonough eventually steps away from the microphone, his body of work will stand among the elite in sports broadcasting.
Over the years, McDonough has called everything from college football and basketball to Major League Baseball and the NHL, building a résumé that only a select handful of announcers in broadcasting history can rival. “But at this point in his career, among all of those responsibilities, he shines brightest when calling college football for ESPN, where he has formed a solid connection with Greg McElroy. McDonough is always in the present and expertly portrays the drama and pleasure of college football.”
McDonough turned 63 this year and is showing no signs of slowing down. He has stated unequivocally that he intends to continue calling games as long as he has his fastball, which he appears to have.