Fan favorite college basketball announcer and personality John Fanta is on the move.
According to a report by Andrew Marchand of The Athletic, Fanta is leaving Fox Sports to join NBC Sports as the lead play-by-play voice of Big East basketball. He will also work in a studio role on Big Ten basketball broadcasts and Notre Dame football games.
UPDATE: NBC Sports confirmed the move on Wednesday afternoon.
Per Marchand, “NBC needed more play-by-play announcers to cover 200 men’s and women’s college games from the Big Ten, Big East and Big 12,” especially as Noah Eagle makes his transition from college hoops to the NBA this season.
As part of NBC’s media rights agreement with the Big East, the company will broadcast more than 60 men’s and women’s basketball games each season, including some early-round Big East Tournament games. Last year, the first in which NBC was a broadcast partner with the Big East, Peacock streamed 25 regular-season men’s basketball games in addition to five early-round tournament games.
Fanta will also have the opportunity to call some Big Ten and Big 12 basketball games, per the report. His role in Notre Dame football games will consist of serving up in-game highlights from other action around the country. He’s also expected to be “in the mix” as a sideline reporter for NBC’s NBA coverage, and “could be part of the network’s Olympic coverage.”
Last year, Fanta worked for NBC in a limited capacity while continuing to call college basketball on FS1. It seems that he left a good impression on the network, one that was enough for them to offer him an exclusive deal.