BRAD EDWARDS

Brad Edwards grew up in a sports-loving family in Jackson, Miss. As an athlete, his best sport was soccer. But as a fan, his love was always football.

Although he grew up rooting for Mississippi State, he decided instead to attend the University of Alabama and was given an opportunity to work in the athletic department – in what was then called Sports Information (now Communications) – at the start of his freshman year. Before his senior year, Edwards served internships with the Indianapolis Colts and the U.S. Olympic Committee and, upon his return to campus, was given the opportunity to work with Alabama football.

After graduating in May of 1994, he stayed another year in Tuscaloosa as an intern and was even more involved with the football team, ultimately leveraging that experience to get a job with the CFL’s short-lived Birmingham Barracudas.

Soon thereafter, an ESPN producer, who had relied on Edwards for information during his time with both Alabama and the Barracudas, recommended him for a new position in Bristol, Conn., and the rest is history. Edwards spent the next 25 football seasons with ESPN, first as a researcher behind the scenes and later in an on-air capacity.

He was best known as the network’s BCS analyst from 1999 through 2013 and also spent 11 seasons as a co-host of College GameDay on ESPN Radio. In addition, he was a frequent contributor to SportsCenter and made several appearances on TV’s College GameDay.

On a trivial note, his immediate family has significant SEC West connections. In addition to Brad’s degree from Alabama, one brother finished at Texas A&M, and the other graduated from Ole Miss. Both of their parents attended Mississippi State, and their maternal grandmother went to LSU.

Brad still lives in Connecticut with his wife and three daughters, who are highly unlikely to attend Auburn.