Cotton Bowl announcer Sean McDonough is long-time friend of Dan Hoard

ESPN announced that its broadcast of the Cotton Bowl showdown between the Cincinnati Bearcats and the Alabama Crimson Tide in the College Football Playoff will feature Sean McDonough on play-by-play, color analyst Todd Blackledge and sideline reporters Molly McGrath and Laura Rutledge.

McDonough is a close friend of Bearcats and Cincinnati Bengals radio play-by-play announcer Dan Hoard, going back to their days as classmates at Syracuse. Hoard tweeted last November that McDonough was his mentor at the school and that he learned more from him than any professor, adding that he "is an incredible friend."

McDonough had said during the broadcast of the Bearcats' 38-10 win against Houston on Nov. 7, 2020, that Hoard is "truly one of the greats on and off the air," adding that he's a great broadcaster and even better person.