Make room, Tim Tebow. You have some additional former SEC quarterback company.
Greg McElroy confirmed to al.com that he has been hired by ESPN and taken a job as an analyst for the new SEC Network, which will launch this fall. The former Alabama quarterback retired from football late last week following a very brief three-year NFL career.
McElroy’s only broadcasting experience came as a guest analyst during ESPN’s coverage of the Auburn-Oregon BCS title game back in January of 2011.
“You grow up wanting to play in the NFL and loving playing the game,” McElroy told the website. “I started playing this game when I was 8, and for the first time in 17 years, I won’t be putting on shoulder pads and a helmet every day in the fall.
“It will be difficult, but I know that with the opportunity to work for ESPN and cover a conference I’m so passionate for, there were just too many positives to overlook.”
The SEC Network subsequently confirmed the hiring of McElroy, who was an NFL teammate of Tebow during his stint with the New York Jets.
“Greg was an integral member in what has been a dynasty of success at Alabama under Coach Nick Saban over the last decade. The personal understanding he has of the teams we will cover every week allows a perspective unavailable on any other network,” said ESPN in a statement. “His intelligence, experience and first hand playing knowledge of playing in the conference on the biggest national stage will be an incredible asset to the fans.”
It was announced back in December that Tebow, the former Florida quarterback, would serve as an analyst on the network, joining another former Gator quarterback, Jesse Palmer, in that role. Brent Musburger was hired earlier this month to be the lead play-by-play voice on the network’s football telecasts.
The SEC Network will officially launch Aug. 14. The first football game televised on the network will be the Aug. 28 Texas A&M-South Carolina opener.