ABC, ESPN Announce Commentator Teams For The XFL'S 2020 Season

Two commentator teams comprised of talented and authentic voices from ESPN's COLLEGE FOOTBALL and NFL rosters will call ABC and ESPN's 22-game schedule during the XFL's 2020 season, beginning with the premiere telecast on ABC, SATURDAY, FEB. 8 (2:00-5:00 p.m. EST). All ABC and ESPN games will be streamed live on the ESPN App.

Play-by-play voice Steve Levy, analyst Greg McElroy, field analyst Tom Luginbill and reporter Dianna Russini will call the highly anticipated XFL kickoff game - Seattle Dragons vs. DC Defenders on ABC (FEB. 8), the West Final (APR. 19), the XFL Championship (APR. 26) and weekly Saturday games on ABC in 2020.

A 26-year ESPN veteran, Levy is one of ABC/ESPN's top COLLEGE FOOTBALL play-by-play voices. He also called his first MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL NFL game in September. McElroy, the former national champion quarterback for Alabama, and Luginbill are highly respected COLLEGE FOOTBALL voices who already worked together on ABC/ESPN games in the fall. Luginbill recently covered the XFL Draft for ESPN, and he was the quarterback coach and director of player personnel for the Los Angeles Xtreme, which won the championship in the original XFL in 2001. Russini is a top NFL insider/reporter and host who worked her first MNF game in September.

Play-by-play voice Tom Hart, analyst Joey Galloway and field analyst Pat McAfee will call weekly Sunday games on ESPN and ABC, beginning with the St. Louis BattleHawks vs. Dallas Renegades (FEB. 9, ESPN).

Hart is THE VOICE of SEC Saturday Night prime-time COLLEGE FOOTBALL games on SEC Network. Galloway, a 16-year NFL player and former first-round pick, is a top COLLEGE FOOTBALL studio analyst who has also called games. McAfee, a former All-Pro NFL punter, calls Thursday Night COLLEGE FOOTBALL games for ESPN and is a regular contributor to "Get Up." One of the most charismatic personalities in sports media, McAfee also hosts his own podcast and digital show.

"ABC and ESPN's presentation of the XFL is going to be innovative and entertaining, and we have assembled a group of commentators that will be very familiar to our viewers. By bringing together some of our most accomplished football experts, we look forward to introducing this exciting, new league to fans," said Lee Fitting, senior vice president, Production, ESPN.

ESPN coordinating producer Bill Bonnell, who produces ABC's "Saturday Night Football" and the COLLEGE FOOTBALL National Championship, will oversee ABC/ESPN's overall XFL production. Bonnell was NBC's senior coordinating producer in charge of production of the original XFL in 2001, which introduced a variety of innovations that were later adopted by other football broadcasts, including the full-time use of Skycam, enhanced audio and cameras on the field. Weekly XFL games will be produced by ESPN producers Josh Hoffman (Saturdays) and Mandy Cohen (Sundays).

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