Legendary broadcaster Ernie Johnson has hosted CBS and TNT's pregame coverage of the NCAA Tournament for countless seasons, but this year he's been replaced by former NFL wide receiver Nate Burleson.
Johnson announced in February that he was going to "take a step back" from the first few rounds of March Madness. That opened the door for Burleson, one of the "CBS This Morning" hosts, to step into the spotlight. He'll fill Johnson's role in the studio up until the Elite Eight.
Obviously, CBS had to find a replacement once Johnson opted for a lighter workload. Why was Burleson the network's top choice? Apparently, this is actually an audition for him.
According to Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports, CBS is using the NCAA Tournament as an opportunity to test Burleson's hosting skills. If all goes well, he could eventually become the host of "The NFL Today." That role has been held by James Brown since 2006.
"Have seen a few people asking why Nate Burleson is CBS March Madness studio host. Ernie Johnson asked to step back from some of the dates in the role," Glasspiegel said. "CBS is testing to see if Burleson could eventually replace James Brown as NFL Today host."
MIAMI, FLORIDA - JANUARY 31: Former NFL player Nate Burleson and speaks onstage during day 3 of SiriusXM at Super Bowl LIV on January 31, 2020 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM )
Fans torn on Burleson.
NFL fans have gotten used to Burleson's analysis over the years. He was on NFL Network's "Good Morning Football" before making the jump to CBS.
College basketball fans, however, aren't exactly loving Burleson's broadcasting style.
"It's the obvious choice and I suspect they've been grooming him for years for that," one fan commented.
"This CBS studio group is awful. It's embarrassing and comical," a second fan said.
"Nate Burleson is destroying the CBS broadcast," another fan declared. "He's so bad."
We'll see if Burleson can win over the nonbelievers before he hands the baton back to Johnson.
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