IU students working College GameDay, Big Noon Kickoff gain valuable experience
Oct 24, 2024
From left, hosts Desmond Howard, Rece Davis, Pat McAfee, Nick Saban, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit on the set of College GameDay at the University of Texas on Oct. 19. The show will broadcast from IU Bloomington on Oct. 26. Photo by Allen Kee, ESPN Images
ESPN’s popular football show College GameDay is setting up shop in Bloomington this weekend to feature the undefeated Indiana Hoosiers against the visiting Washington Huskies on Saturday. The show’s hosts will provide their mix of analysis, opinion and humor, but a handful of Indiana University students will be working behind the scenes to help make the magic happen.
About 10 students will serve as utility personnel or runners and help ESPN’s crew with tasks such as set setup or takedown, moving equipment or holding microphones. The College GameDay set will be in the South End Zone Plaza at Memorial Stadium. Gates open at 6:30 a.m., and the show will air from 9 a.m. until the game’s noon kickoff.
Molly Joseph. Submitted photoMolly Joseph, a senior from Chicago, and William Stewart, a junior from Kingston, Illinois, are two of the Media School students who will be helping. They also were among the students hired by Fox to help with its Big Noon Kickoff show for the Oct. 19 IU home game against Nebraska.
“I love all these opportunities Indiana gives you to be hands on,” Joseph said.
“I think these opportunities are amazing,” Stewart said. “The fact that I can be hired by Fox or ESPN and they are willing to let us in and include us, it’s fundamental to my growth.”
Galen Clavio, head of the Sports Media Program and professor in The Media School at IU, said the networks reach out to him and Kevon Wilson, director of media productions with Radio-Television Services, with the number and types of positions they need to fill to help with Bloomington game broadcasts. Clavio said they connect available students with the networks, and the networks do the hiring.
“It’s rewarding because it’s another benefit we can provide students here at school,” said Clavio, who is also director of the National Sports Journalism Center.
Knowing the students and their skills and strengths is one of Clavio’s jobs, he said, so he can ensure networks get students who match their needs. The regular production work that a pool of about 55 students does for the Big Ten Plus network provides valuable hands-on experience that prepares them well for opportunities such as Fox’s and ESPN’s football pregame shows.
When networks hire students to help with game broadcasts, it also gives them a chance to meet and learn from professionals and create industry connections that can be helpful with securing jobs after graduation, Clavio added.
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<picture class="lw_image"> <source media="(max-width: 500px)" type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/500/15825_ESPN_College_GameDay_AK2_9731.rev.1729782166.webp 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/2/width/500/15825_ESPN_College_GameDay_AK2_9731.rev.1729782166.webp 3x" data-origin="responsive"/> <source media="(max-width: 500px)" type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/500/15825_ESPN_College_GameDay_AK2_9731.rev.1729782166.JPG 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/2/width/500/15825_ESPN_College_GameDay_AK2_9731.rev.1729782166.JPG 3x" data-origin="responsive"/> <source media="(max-width: 800px)" type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/800/15825_ESPN_College_GameDay_AK2_9731.rev.1729782166.webp 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/2/width/800/15825_ESPN_College_GameDay_AK2_9731.rev.1729782166.webp 3x" data-origin="responsive"/> <source media="(max-width: 800px)" type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/800/15825_ESPN_College_GameDay_AK2_9731.rev.1729782166.JPG 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/2/width/800/15825_ESPN_College_GameDay_AK2_9731.rev.1729782166.JPG 3x" data-origin="responsive"/> <source media="(min-width: 801px)" type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/1000/15825_ESPN_College_GameDay_AK2_9731.rev.1729782166.webp 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/2/width/1000/15825_ESPN_College_GameDay_AK2_9731.rev.1729782166.webp 3x" data-origin="responsive"/> <source media="(min-width: 801px)" type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/1000/15825_ESPN_College_GameDay_AK2_9731.rev.1729782166.JPG 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/2/width/1000/15825_ESPN_College_GameDay_AK2_9731.rev.1729782166.JPG 3x" data-origin="responsive"/> <img src="/live/image/gid/2/width/1000/15825_ESPN_College_GameDay_AK2_9731.rev.1729782166.JPG" width="1000" height="667" alt="Desmond Howard, Rece Davis, Nick Saban and Kirk Herbstreit, on the set of College GameDay at the University of Texas on Oct. 19, discuss ..." srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/1000/15825_ESPN_College_GameDay_AK2_9731.rev.1729782166.JPG 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/2/width/1000/15825_ESPN_College_GameDay_AK2_9731.rev.1729782166.JPG 3x" data-max-w="3200" data-max-h="2133" data-optimized="true"/></picture>
Desmond Howard, Rece Davis, Nick Saban and Kirk Herbstreit, on the set of College GameDay at the University of Texas on Oct. 19, discuss possible playoff teams, including the Indiana Hoosiers. Photo by Allen Kee, ESPN Images
Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff broadcast from Memorial Stadium on Oct. 19. Photo courtesy of Indiana University Athletics
<picture class="lw_image"> <source media="(max-width: 500px)" type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/500/15827_20241019_FB_Nebraska_LDJ5163.rev.1729782423.webp 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/2/width/500/15827_20241019_FB_Nebraska_LDJ5163.rev.1729782423.webp 3x" data-origin="responsive"/> <source media="(max-width: 500px)" type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/500/15827_20241019_FB_Nebraska_LDJ5163.rev.1729782423.JPG 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/2/width/500/15827_20241019_FB_Nebraska_LDJ5163.rev.1729782423.JPG 3x" data-origin="responsive"/> <source media="(max-width: 800px)" type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/800/15827_20241019_FB_Nebraska_LDJ5163.rev.1729782423.webp 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/2/width/800/15827_20241019_FB_Nebraska_LDJ5163.rev.1729782423.webp 3x" data-origin="responsive"/> <source media="(max-width: 800px)" type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/800/15827_20241019_FB_Nebraska_LDJ5163.rev.1729782423.JPG 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/2/width/800/15827_20241019_FB_Nebraska_LDJ5163.rev.1729782423.JPG 3x" data-origin="responsive"/> <source media="(min-width: 801px)" type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/1000/15827_20241019_FB_Nebraska_LDJ5163.rev.1729782423.webp 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/2/width/1000/15827_20241019_FB_Nebraska_LDJ5163.rev.1729782423.webp 3x" data-origin="responsive"/> <source media="(min-width: 801px)" type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/1000/15827_20241019_FB_Nebraska_LDJ5163.rev.1729782423.JPG 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/2/width/1000/15827_20241019_FB_Nebraska_LDJ5163.rev.1729782423.JPG 3x" data-origin="responsive"/> <img src="/live/image/gid/2/width/1000/15827_20241019_FB_Nebraska_LDJ5163.rev.1729782423.JPG" width="1000" height="667" alt="IU students crowded around the Big Noon Kickoff set and showed their enthusiasm for the Indiana Hoosiers before they played the Nebraska ..." srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/1000/15827_20241019_FB_Nebraska_LDJ5163.rev.1729782423.JPG 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/2/width/1000/15827_20241019_FB_Nebraska_LDJ5163.rev.1729782423.JPG 3x" data-max-w="3200" data-max-h="2133" data-optimized="true"/></picture>
IU students crowded around the Big Noon Kickoff set and showed their enthusiasm for the Indiana Hoosiers before they played the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Photo By Levi Jones, Indiana Athletics
<picture class="lw_image"> <source media="(max-width: 500px)" type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/500/15828_20241019_FB_Nebraska_LDJ7855.rev.1729782508.webp 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/2/width/500/15828_20241019_FB_Nebraska_LDJ7855.rev.1729782508.webp 3x" data-origin="responsive"/> <source media="(max-width: 500px)" type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/500/15828_20241019_FB_Nebraska_LDJ7855.rev.1729782508.JPG 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/2/width/500/15828_20241019_FB_Nebraska_LDJ7855.rev.1729782508.JPG 3x" data-origin="responsive"/> <source media="(max-width: 800px)" type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/800/15828_20241019_FB_Nebraska_LDJ7855.rev.1729782508.webp 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/2/width/800/15828_20241019_FB_Nebraska_LDJ7855.rev.1729782508.webp 3x" data-origin="responsive"/> <source media="(max-width: 800px)" type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/800/15828_20241019_FB_Nebraska_LDJ7855.rev.1729782508.JPG 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/2/width/800/15828_20241019_FB_Nebraska_LDJ7855.rev.1729782508.JPG 3x" data-origin="responsive"/> <source media="(min-width: 801px)" type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/1000/15828_20241019_FB_Nebraska_LDJ7855.rev.1729782508.webp 2x" data-origin="responsive"/> <source media="(min-width: 801px)" type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/1000/15828_20241019_FB_Nebraska_LDJ7855.rev.1729782508.JPG 2x" data-origin="responsive"/> <img src="/live/image/gid/2/width/1000/15828_20241019_FB_Nebraska_LDJ7855.rev.1729782508.JPG" width="1000" height="667" alt="Singer and songwriter John Mellencamp was a special guest on Fox's Big Noon kickoff show. Photo By Levi Jones, Indiana Athletics" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/1000/15828_20241019_FB_Nebraska_LDJ7855.rev.1729782508.JPG 2x" data-max-w="2805" data-max-h="1870" data-optimized="true"/></picture>
Singer and songwriter John Mellencamp was a special guest on Fox’s Big Noon kickoff show. Photo By Levi Jones, Indiana Athletics
IU senior Molly Joseph, left, served was an assistant to Fox sideline reporter Jenny Taft for the IU-Nebraska game. Photo courtesy of Molly Joseph
<picture class="lw_image"> <source media="(max-width: 500px)" type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/500/15830_Jenny_Taft_IMG_0445.rev.1729782707.webp 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/2/width/500/15830_Jenny_Taft_IMG_0445.rev.1729782707.webp 3x" data-origin="responsive"/> <source media="(max-width: 500px)" type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/500/15830_Jenny_Taft_IMG_0445.rev.1729782707.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/2/width/500/15830_Jenny_Taft_IMG_0445.rev.1729782707.jpg 3x" data-origin="responsive"/> <source media="(max-width: 800px)" type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/800/15830_Jenny_Taft_IMG_0445.rev.1729782707.webp 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/2/width/800/15830_Jenny_Taft_IMG_0445.rev.1729782707.webp 3x" data-origin="responsive"/> <source media="(max-width: 800px)" type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/800/15830_Jenny_Taft_IMG_0445.rev.1729782707.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/2/width/800/15830_Jenny_Taft_IMG_0445.rev.1729782707.jpg 3x" data-origin="responsive"/> <source media="(min-width: 801px)" type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/1000/15830_Jenny_Taft_IMG_0445.rev.1729782707.webp 2x" data-origin="responsive"/> <source media="(min-width: 801px)" type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/1000/15830_Jenny_Taft_IMG_0445.rev.1729782707.jpg 2x" data-origin="responsive"/> <img src="/live/image/gid/2/width/1000/15830_Jenny_Taft_IMG_0445.rev.1729782707.jpg" width="1000" height="1333" alt="One of Molly Joseph's duties was to take photos of Jenny Taft when she interviewed IU football coach Curt Cignetti. Photo courtesy of Mol..." srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/1000/15830_Jenny_Taft_IMG_0445.rev.1729782707.jpg 2x" data-max-w="2400" data-max-h="3200" data-optimized="true"/></picture>
One of Molly Joseph’s duties was to take photos of Jenny Taft when she interviewed IU football coach Curt Cignetti. Photo courtesy of Molly Joseph
<picture class="lw_image"> <source media="(max-width: 500px)" type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/500/15842_William_Stewart_on_College_GameDay_set.rev.1729816906.webp 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/2/width/500/15842_William_Stewart_on_College_GameDay_set.rev.1729816906.webp 3x" data-origin="responsive"/> <source media="(max-width: 500px)" type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/500/15842_William_Stewart_on_College_GameDay_set.rev.1729816906.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/2/width/500/15842_William_Stewart_on_College_GameDay_set.rev.1729816906.jpg 3x" data-origin="responsive"/> <source media="(max-width: 800px)" type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/gid/2/width/800/15842_William_Stewart_on_College_GameDay_set.rev.1729816906.webp 1x" data-origin="responsive"/> <source media="(max-width: 800px)" type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/gid/2/width/800/15842_William_Stewart_on_College_GameDay_set.rev.1729816906.jpg 1x" data-origin="responsive"/> <source media="(min-width: 801px)" type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/gid/2/width/1000/15842_William_Stewart_on_College_GameDay_set.rev.1729816906.webp 1x" data-origin="responsive"/> <source media="(min-width: 801px)" type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/gid/2/width/1000/15842_William_Stewart_on_College_GameDay_set.rev.1729816906.jpg 1x" data-origin="responsive"/> <img src="/live/image/gid/2/width/1000/15842_William_Stewart_on_College_GameDay_set.rev.1729816906.jpg" width="1000" height="1333" alt="IU junior William Stewart has his photo taken on the set of ESPN's College GameDay after helping with set construction. Photo courtesy of..." data-max-w="1536" data-max-h="2048" data-optimized="true"/></picture>
IU junior William Stewart has his photo taken on the set of ESPN’s College GameDay after helping with set construction. Photo courtesy of William Stewart
Joseph, who is majoring in journalism with a minor in sports marketing and management, was hired as a runner for College GameDay. For Fox on Oct. 19, she was the assistant to sideline reporter Jenny Taft. She had a bottle of water ready, held things for Taft while she did on-air reports and took photos of her interviews with IU coach Curt Cignetti that could be used for social media.
“She was so kind, even sweeter than I expected,” Joseph said. “She let me ask her a ton of questions. Jenny would explain what she was thinking about a sideline report and Fox’s process. It was really cool.”
Joseph, a columnist for the Indiana Daily Student and a production crew member for Big Ten Plus games, said that minutes after ESPN announced that College GameDay would be coming to IU, she sent an email to Wilson asking to work with the network. Her dream job is to work for ESPN, either as a columnist or writing features.
William Stewart. Photo by Kirk Johannesen, Indiana UniversityStewart, a sports media major, is still trying to figure out what his career path will be, but the ample opportunities he’s had to help networks while at IU have given him valuable experience and industry connections.
He did four years of on- and off-camera work for his high school’s TV program, and almost immediately after arriving at IU, he jumped on an opportunity to work for Fox when it broadcast an IU football game against Illinois. Since then, Stewart has worked about a half-dozen games for ESPN, CBS and Fox when they’ve been in town to broadcast sporting events. He also covers football for The Hoosier Network, covers soccer for IU Student Television and does production work for IU Radio-Television Services.
Stewart’s role with College GameDay will be a utility person, helping with setup, cable work on gameday and then set teardown. He hopes the experience is as exciting and fulfilling as what he experienced as a runner and utility person for the Big Noon Kickoff.
“That was ridiculous; that game was insane,” Stewart said. “I’ve never been in a football atmosphere as good as what I was in last Saturday. I wasn’t expecting that. I couldn’t stop smiling.”
