Football commentary is a weird job. Hear us out: The moment one picks up the mic, he/she becomes the face of the game. So, you make one silly mistake in your commentary, and in an instant, your face is plastered on Subreddits with fans calling you out. And, ho, add some personal bias (regarding teams) in the mix and you, my sir, have booked yourself a first-class ticket on the same Flight Downfall that Kirk Herbstreit took. Despite the moral gray area, there is one repeating pattern we have noticed on Reddit or the millions of articles on Google: The hate for a very specific CBS college football analyst/announcer. Enter Gary Danielson – SEC legend or, as some fans would say, “I’m conflicted about us being on CBS. On the one hand, we get the epic music; on the other, we have to listen to Gary Danielson.”

Now, why are we even talking about Gary? Well, CBS Sports dropped the update that “Gary Danielson announces his retirement as CBS Sports’ lead CFB analyst after this season, with Charles Davis set to succeed Danielson in 2026.” 36 long years. It’s like having our whole childhood being molded by this guy – so why the hate? Well, we did a bit of digging, and most of the “hate” boils down to the fact that Gary used to always fawn over any/every HC whose team was on a winning streak.

Yeah, it’s like having that one friend who suddenly starts supporting the Ducks because they are on a 10-win run. And when you ask them if they can name 5 Oregon players, they instantly get defensive. However, what started the downfall of Gary was his obsession with Bama.

Now, truth be told, back when Danielson was a part of SEC, Bama was the hottest. To be fixated on that is understandable. However, to slide in Nick Saban in every single conversation that probably didn’t even involve the Tide in the first place does get a bit obnoxious.

On top of that, many, over time, have even said that Gary’s analysis didn’t even add much. It feels superficial – kind of like a journeyman version of Phil Simms. And as many pointed out before on College Football’s IG post of ‘Start, bench and cut way’ – “Bench Gary.” It looks like the sentiment hasn’t changed much, even after his retirement.

Gary Danielson Hate > Yankees Hate

“My guy called one year of third tier Big Ten ball in the cold and said I’m out. I respect it.” Well, this was one of the first reactions we could find under the retirement update. We still remember watching the Iowa x Iowa State game, and the hate pouring in for Gary’s commentary was… not so positive.

Out of nowhere, Gary blurts out, “Should’ve been intentional grounding” on Hawkeyes QB Cade McNamara. Being a former NFL quarterback for over a decade and not knowing how wide the tackle box is supposed to be? Yeah, we think we get why B1G fans hate Danielson.

Another fan was quite harsh in their comments. “Used to pray for times like this,” they mentioned. Well, it only took what? 36 years? You are surely free now. Although we have to say, watching Gary depart is kind of sad. See, all hate aside, he was an integral part of SEC announcing and the peak Nick Saban era.

Finally, 2 more fans pointed out – “Bro doesn’t want that big 10 ball lmao” and “Thank God !!!” Well, B1G lovers can now rest easy knowing Charles Davis will be taking up the reins from 2026. Let’s hope that it doesn’t end up becoming a similar dumpster fire.