A shocking change hits college football broadcasting as a longtime voice suddenly steps away after 18 years. Georgia’s football radio booth changed on Friday, but Scott Howard made clear the decision was not his. Hours after the school announced Jeff Dantzler as the new play-by-play voice for 2026, Howard said stepping away from the football broadcast was “not my decision.”

“Thank you to everyone for all the messages. Didn’t know that many people had my number,” Howard tweeted. “Just to clear up any confusion, respectfully, it was not my decision to step away from the football broadcast.”

Howard is not leaving Georgia entirely. He will continue as the voice of Georgia men’s basketball and also take on special projects, even as the school turns to a new football booth for the 2026 season. However, many fans still felt emotional about the change. They had listened to his voice for many years during football games, especially on Saturdays in the fall.

Fans remembered him calling some of Georgia’s biggest moments. He was on the call when the team won its first national championship since 1980 in Indianapolis, and again when Georgia went undefeated and won another title the next season.

They also remembered his call during the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship Game, when DeVonta Smith caught the game-winning touchdown in overtime for Alabama against Georgia.

He joined in 1993 and first worked with famous announcer Larry Munson as a color analyst. He thanked people for sending him messages and said he didn’t expect so many to contact him. Then he clearly explained that leaving the football broadcast was not his choice, but something decided by others.

“Thank you to everyone for all the messages,” Howard said. “Didn’t know that many people had my number. Just to clear up any confusion, respectfully, it was not my decision to step away from the football broadcast.”

That is what gave the announcement extra weight. Howard was behind the microphone for some of the biggest moments of the program’s recent era, including Georgia’s back-to-back national championship seasons in 2021 and 2022. Now, the new broadcast team included Jeff Dantzler as the main play-by-play announcer.

Georgia brings in two other announcers

Georgia will move forward with Jeff Dantzler on play-by-play and Jon Stinchcomb as the analyst, while D.J. Shockley remains on the sideline. Dantzler is already a familiar voice across Georgia sports, so the school clearly chose experience over a full reset.

This new team brought strong experience and a deep connection to the program. Dantzler had already spent many years covering Georgia baseball and women’s basketball. He was also involved in football pregame and postgame shows, so he already knew the program very well. Dantzler shared how excited he felt about the opportunity and said it meant a lot to him to take on this role.

“As a young kid growing up in Statesboro, loving the University of Georgia, this is a dream come true,” Dantzler said. “It is a wonderful honor and the opportunity of a lifetime. Like so many of the Bulldog faithful, I live and breathe by what happens on fall Saturdays. I am committed to providing our fans the very best picture and analysis as our beloved Bulldogs continue to compete for SEC and national championships.”

Even Jon Stinchcomb had a very strong football background. He played for Georgia and became an All-American and All-SEC player. After college, he played in the NFL and even won a Super Bowl, which shows how successful he was in his career. After the opportunity, even Stinchcomb expressed his excitement.

“It is a wonderful honor and the opportunity of a lifetime,” Stinchcomb said. “Like so many of the Bulldog faithful, I live and breathe by what happens on fall Saturdays. I am committed to providing our fans the very best picture and analysis as our beloved Bulldogs continue to compete for SEC and national championships.”

Now, let’s wait and see how this new change and voices turn out for Georgia in the 2026 season.