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NBC tabs Jason Benetti to replace Dan Hicks on Notre Dame-Boston College call after shocking death
Jason Benetti will call NBC’s Notre Dame-Boston College game on Saturday, filling in for Dan Hicks, who died suddenly at 64 after an acute illness. Hicks’s death came two days after NBC announced he would lead the broadcast, prompting tributes from colleagues and the wider sports community.
Benetti is listed as the play-by-play announcer in Notre Dame’s game notes, alongside analyst Jason Garrett and reporter Caroline Pineda; neither he nor NBC had publicly commented on the change. Hicks called Notre Dame games from 2013 to 2017 and returned in 2024. His career included major Olympic, golf and skiing events, among them Michael Phelps’s gold medals and Tiger Woods’s 2008 US Open finish.
In short
- Jason Benetti will call Notre Dame-Boston College for NBC.
- He is filling in after Dan Hicks died at 64.
- Hicks was known for major Olympic and golf broadcasts.
Explained simply
Notre Dame and Boston College are US universities whose American football teams meet in a long-running rivalry. Their games are broadcast nationally, and the play-by-play announcer describes the action as it unfolds, working with an analyst who explains tactics and decisions.
Dan Hicks was a veteran NBC sportscaster who had called Notre Dame games in several seasons. Jason Benetti is also an experienced broadcaster, known for covering a range of sports, and is due to work the game with analyst Jason Garrett and reporter Caroline Pineda.
The change brings attention to how major live sports broadcasts are staffed when an announcer is unable to take part. Hicks’s career included coverage of the Olympics, golf and skiing, making his death significant to colleagues and viewers beyond college football.