Georgia Tech fans listening to the radio pregame show Saturday can hear the voice of a most beloved former Yellow Jacket. Tech quarterback great and College Football Hall of Famer Joe Hamilton will participate on the revamped pregame broadcast on The Fan, starting with the season opener against Northern Illinois on Saturday.
“I love it,” Hamilton told the AJC. “Nobody bleeds the white and gold like I do. Well, I can’t say ‘nobody,’ but I’m really happy.”
Hamilton, part of The Fan′s “The Locker Room” morning show, will have a segment in which he breaks down the quarterback matchup for the game.
“It’s just going to be an honest assessment, giving fans a little inside look of what I’m looking at,” said Hamilton, who in 1999 finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting.
While time will be spent on the opposing team’s quarterback, he said, “I definitely will focus most on (Jeff) Sims and his progression.”
Sims and Hamilton have gotten to know each other, communicating via text messages and phone calls, Hamilton said.
“I love his maturity, and I love his leadership and his willingness – to use the old cliché – to be the first one in, last one out, lead by example,” Hamilton said.
While he believes Sims needs to improve in certain areas such as ball security in the pocket, Hamilton is hopeful for his progress this season.
“Oh, my goodness, I know firsthand how the game is going to slow down for him,” Hamilton said. “Starting 10 games (as a freshman last year), I’m so happy that he had the chance to do that.”
As for entirety of the broadcast, the new format will reduce the role of Tech voice Andy Demetra, analyst Sean Bedford and sideline reporter Wiley Ballard in the pregame and postgame shows, handing those responsibilities to Brandon Joseph and Chris Mooneyham, both The Fan contributors.
Not having pregame and postgame duties “gives us an opportunity for the three of us to hone in a little more on the game itself on game days,” Demetra said.
The changes were prompted by Tech’s change in multi-media rights holder from Learfield IMG to Legends. Where the broadcasts previously were produced by Learfield IMG, the games now will be produced by The Fan, Tech’s flagship. The station, owned by Dickey Broadcasting, also produces Braves game broadcasts.
“I think the goal is still the same – to create the most compelling, dynamic, informative, entertaining broadcast that you’ll hear in college football on a given Saturday,” Demetra said. “We’re excited that Dickey Broadcasting will be joining as our network hub. We can’t wait to get started with them.”
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