Folksy and full of tidbits, Jeff Dantzler leads UGA broadcasts in new era

In just a slice of Georgia’s season opener against Tennessee State at Sanford Stadium on Sept. 5, new Bulldogs football voice Jeff Dantzler gave a taste of what broadcasts will be like with him calling the action.

After safety Khalil Barnes’ coverage of a Tigers pass in the first quarter, Dantzler noted the play and mentioned that “I saw his dad coming to the game today.”

When identifying the Bulldogs lined up for the start of Tennessee State’s next drive – “let’s see who we’ve got” – he pointed out defensive lineman Jordan Hall, whose 2025 season ended prematurely with a knee injury. Dantzler didn’t just say that he was back, but that it was “great to have him back – the big veteran, No. 44.”

And when defensive lineman Josh Horton made the stop on the first play of the Tigers possession, he rattled off the following without hesitation: “Horton, you might remember last year, one of the big defensive plays of the year – up by eight against Ole Miss, he batted the pass down on fourth down.”

Each detail was accurate.

In a nutshell, that is Dantzler – folksy, an unabashed Georgia supporter and equipped with knowledge of Bulldogs football that is both encyclopedic and instantly retrievable.

“I’m just doing the best I can to be the absolute best I can be because our fans – I love the Georgia people,” he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Because that’s what I am – a Bulldog fan more than anything.”

A new era of Georgia football radio broadcasts has begun with the 54-year-old Dantzler, a Statesboro native who grew up idolizing iconic Bulldogs voice Larry Munson and wanted nothing more than to one day occupy his seat in the Georgia radio booth.

“(The season opener) was thrilling and exciting and I think we’re all glad just to have that first game under our belt,” Dantzler said. “Just like the team, you just try to improve every week.”

He continues Saturday with Georgia’s home matchup against Western Kentucky. The game broadcast team also includes two Bulldogs greats – analyst Jon Stinchcomb and sideline reporter D.J, Shockley – along with producer Adam Gillespie and spotters Neil Williamson and Chris Schiavone.

For Dantzler, it culminated a journey that began when he was a high schooler calling prep games in Statesboro for the local radio station.

“It’s funny,” he said. “I’ve had people reach out to me from my hometown of Statesboro that I haven’t heard from in years: ‘You’ve been telling us since you were 12 this is the job you wanted to do.’”

It came as a surprise in April when the athletic department announced that Dantzler was replacing Scott Howard and that Stinchcomb was taking over Josh Brock’s analyst role.

With the unenviable task of succeeding the legendary Munson, Howard had called Bulldogs games for 18 years. His work earned him induction into the Friends of Georgia Radio Hall of Fame in 2025. (Howard will continue to call Georgia men’s basketball games.)

While received well by many, the move also ruffled the feathers of those who had appreciated Howard’s delivery and commitment.

Athletic director Josh Brooks did not provide an explanation for the move. However, his statement in the news release announcing the change that Dantzler, Stinchcomb and Shockley “share a tremendous passion for the University of Georgia” and Dantzler’s personable style and love for the Bulldogs suggested the direction that the department wanted to send the broadcasts.

And if that makes you think of Munson, who endeared himself to the Georgia fan base in how he lived and died with the Bulldogs each fall Saturday for more than 40 years, you’re not the only one.

A UGA graduate, Dantzler bleeds red and black, is beloved and highly visible within the Bulldogs community and has been described as a “literal walking encyclopedia of Georgia football history.”

He has called Georgia women’s basketball and baseball since the 1990s (jobs he’ll continue to do). He had also been the longtime host of the football pregame and postgame shows as well as the Bulldog Brunch show on Sundays.

His devotion to the Bulldogs comes through the broadcast. Saturday, his calls of big plays for the Bulldogs and the growing rout gave the impression that he wasn’t merely conveying the excitement of the afternoon’s results but his distinct pleasure in them.

“Thirty-five nothing, Dawgs!” he reported gleefully as the broadcast went to commercial after a fifth Georgia touchdown. “The Redcoats are playing loud and proud – Georgia leading Tennessee State here on the Georgia Bulldogs Sports Network.”

By Dantzler’s own admission, there were “a thousand things” that he had to do improve from his call of Saturday’s game. But he was intent on making those fixes.

“I’m not saying I always do it, but I try to just kind of think like I’m talking to somebody who is driving in their car right now and I’m just trying to tell them what’s going on,” he said.