As UCF coach Scott Frost took to the podium for his weekly news conference on Monday, he did so under the watchful gaze of a national television camera crew.
This week’s game against West Virginia (1 p.m. Saturday) will air on TNT, TruTV and HBO Max.
It’s all part of a new agreement between the Big 12 and TNT Sports.
“We were obviously just excited for a partnership,” Drew Watkins, senior vice president and creative director at TNT Sports, recently told the Sentinel. “It’s a great conference with a lot of great teams and a lot of fanfare and we were just excited to bring our TNT sports philosophy to that property, firm up another solid partnership and get deeper into the college football world.
“We’re big football fans here, so that was the main thing that was kind of driving a lot of our enthusiasm.”
The network has been leading the charge in its college football coverage by showcasing an exclusive game of the week. Additionally, it has created its own in-studio show dedicated to pregame, halftime and postgame analysis, featuring insights from Champ Bailey, Takeo Spikes, Victor Cruz and Liam McHugh.
J.B. Long, Mike Golic Jr. and Lauren Jbara are the broadcast crew for the games and will be in Orlando this weekend.
There is a pregame show called “XII Uncovered,” which takes a deep dive behind the scenes with the coaches and players from the host teams. This week, the focus is on UCF, and the camera crew has been working hard on campus.
Typically, there is a core team of about six individuals from the network on-site, including two main camera operators, an audio technician and a field producer. Additionally, there may be one or two utility crew members to assist as needed.
A crew from TNT Sports surrounds UCF coach Scott Frost as they film an interview for a behind-the-scenes look at the Knights for their “XII Uncovered” show. The network is broadcasting this Saturday’s game against West Virginia on TNT, TruTV and HBO Max. (Photo courtesy of UCF Athletics/Adam Widman)
Once filming wraps up, a post-production team takes over, consisting of a couple of editors and a story producer who piece together the footage and help shape the storylines.
“The operation is pretty lean, six plus or minus one or two people,” Watkins explained. “We do that on purpose because schools, especially the ones that are involved in competitive endeavors like college football tend to feel more comfortable when the operation is a little more nimble. You can tuck them in a corner and they don’t get too much attention.”
In addition to Frost, the crew has conducted interviews with offensive tackle Paul Rubelt, running back Myles Montgomery, quarterbacks coach McKenzie Milton and Linda Gooch, who is the head coach of the spirit program.
This week, the camera crew also followed the offensive line unit around, capturing their activities and dynamics.
“We try to put those interactions in context with the ticking clock of the game that’s coming on Saturday,” Watkins said. “Here’s what’s happening on Monday, here’s what happened on Tuesday, here’s what’s happening on Wednesday. We try to nest those individuals and their stories inside the broader storytelling of the idea that a game is coming.”
A rough cut of the show will be shared with the school to avoid any surprises later on.
“We’re pretty much finished. There are a couple of little things we’re still working on and there’s some audio mixing here and there and some color correction stuff, but we’re able to get them a peek at the show so that their leadership can check it out,” Watkins added.
A crew from TNT Sports surrounds UCF offensive linemen for a behind-the-scenes look at the Knights for their “XII Uncovered” show. The network is broadcasting this Saturday’s game against West Virginia on TNT, TruTV and HBO Max. (Photo courtesy of UCF Athletics/Adam Widman)
This also allows teams to check for any accidental hand signals or code words that might have slipped into the footage during the team’s practice.
This isn’t the first time TNT Sports has dipped its toe in college football.
The network has previously hosted a pair of first-round College Football Playoff games last season, which it will do again this year. It’s also providing coverage of Big 12 men’s and women’s basketball games as well as helping out with its NCAA tournament coverage.
“There’s kind of a foundation that we’re utilizing,” Watkins said. “It’s a little bit of that authenticity to the game, but also wanting to make things entertaining. Not super hardcore X’s and O’s. We understand this is a sport and is supposed to be fun. You can’t take yourself too seriously, but you’ve also got to service the needs of the fans, so we apply that.”
Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.
