CBS' Gary Danielson to retire as college football analyst after 2025 season
CBS Sports' veteran college football analyst Gary Danielson will retire after the 2025 season, ending his 36-year career at the age of 74. Charles Davis will replace him from the 2026 season as CBS continues its transition to Big Ten coverage, with JJ Watt joining as an NFL game analyst.
Published on March 31, 2025
Gary Danielson, the longtime CBS Sports college football analyst, is set to retire at the conclusion of the 2025 season, ending a 36-year career in television. Danielson, who will be 74 at retirement, helped guide CBS through significant transitions including the network’s move from airing Southeastern Conference games to Big Ten coverage beginning in 2024.
Charles Davis, currently the No. 2 crew analyst at CBS, is slated to succeed Danielson as the lead college football analyst starting in the 2026 season. In related changes, JJ Watt will move from his studio role to become an NFL game analyst, teaming with Ian Eagle, a shift that has been highlighted in recent reports dated March 2025 by multiple sources including Reuters and the Associated Press.