{"id":34889,"date":"2025-09-26T09:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T13:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=34889"},"modified":"2025-10-01T15:43:37","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T19:43:37","slug":"ucf-students-team-up-with-espn-for-game-day-coverage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/ucf-students-team-up-with-espn-for-game-day-coverage\/","title":{"rendered":"UCF Students Team Up With ESPN+ for Game Day Coverage\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Nicholson School of Communication and Media (NSCM) students gain real-world broadcast experience on the field.<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Written by: Emily Dougherty | September 26, 2025 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Three
(Left to right) Pregame Show director and producer Kiersten Blaylock, host Edgar Rodriguez, and producer Nicolas Cohen pose together for a photo in the NSCM broadcast studio.<\/em> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When Knight Nation tunes into ESPN+ before a football game, they\u2019re watching more than the countdown to kickoff. They\u2019re watching students\u2019 career ambitions unfold.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hitting the Field, <\/em>UCF\u2019s student-run sports broadcast network, has collaborated with ESPN to produce the Pregame Show. <\/em>NSCM instructor and faculty advisor for Hitting the Field<\/em>, Nicholas Joiner, says this collaboration will give students the opportunity to fully produce seven live shows before each home game on the field of the Acrisure Bounce House. With support from UCF Athletics he says they received a custom desk for hosts, ESPN provided graphic templates, and most importantly, real-world experience.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senior electronic journalism major Edgar Rodriguez serves as host for the Pregame Show<\/em> alongside former UCF running back and analyst Adrian Killins Jr., and says this opportunity has been a milestone in his journey as a broadcaster.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Two
The Pregame Show production crew poses for a group photo on the field of the Acrisure Bounce House on game day. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cIt means everything,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen I first came to UCF, I never would\u2019ve thought something like ESPN+ or anything closely related to athletics would even be possible. Seeing how far we\u2019ve come has been very special.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rodriguez says the show airs right before kickoff, giving viewers a chance to feel Knight Nation\u2019s energy while highlighting key players who take to the field.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur goal is to hype up fellow Knights and the community while informing them as much as we can,\u201d he said. \u201cWe try to pack everything into those 28 minutes, so fans walk away ready for kickoff.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Behind the scenes, senior film and media production student Kiersten Blaylock manages preproduced content and live directing. In these roles she helps plan the show each week by assigning students graphics to create while leading the production team while on air.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s crazy because people don\u2019t realize this is student-run. To be able to say, \u2018I\u2019m the director,\u2019 and know I helped make each show happen is huge,\u201d she says. \u201cI love sports as well as production and this lets me experience both.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Three
Pregame show director, Kiersten Blaylock, in the control room before kickoff. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Blaylock says the opportunity to produce and direct a nationally viewed show wouldn\u2019t be possible without the skills she gained from Hitting the Field <\/em>(HTF). She says it gave her the confidence to thrive under tight deadlines, build her leadership skills, and find solutions quickly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith live shows, there\u2019s no alternate opportunity. It\u2019s going on air no matter what. That pressure makes our crew stronger and that\u2019s how we\u2019ve built a team that knows how to get it done,\u201d Blaylock says.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senior broadcast journalism student Nicolas Cohen says the Pregame Show <\/em>opened his eyes to other vital roles in production outside of hosting, such as production, giving him more insight into what makes a good show.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI only ever wanted to be on camera,\u201d Cohen said. \u201cAt HTF, I mostly served as a host. However, producing this show has taught me how to think about rundowns differently as well as the importance of communication on the other side of the camera. That background helps me plan shows that actually flow well for the hosts.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Two
Pregame Show cohosts Edgar Rodriguez (left) and Adrian Killins Jr., former UCF running back, live on air from the Acrisure Bounce House.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Cohen says the most valuable thing he has learned from this experience is how to fill multiple roles, giving him the chance to broaden his future career opportunities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBefore the Pregame Show<\/em>, I never pictured myself being a producer until now,\u201d he says. \u201cIt never hurts to learn every facet of an industry, so you always have another leg to fall back on.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For students who are curious about taking the next step in their career journey, Blaylock encourages students to put themselves out there.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt sounds clich\u00e9 but you never know what\u2019s possible until you try,\u201d she says. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t have made it where I am today without getting involved with Hitting the Field<\/em>.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For readers wanting watch the <\/em>Pregame Show<\/em><\/a>, please tune into ESPN+ 30 minutes before home game kickoff. To watch Hitting the Field, please visit their <\/em>YouTube channel<\/em><\/a>. <\/em> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nicholson School of Communication and Media (NSCM) students gain real-world broadcast experience on the field.  Written by: Emily Dougherty | September 26, 2025  When Knight Nation tunes into ESPN+ before a football game, they\u2019re watching more than the countdown to kickoff. They\u2019re watching students\u2019 career ambitions unfold.   Hitting the Field, UCF\u2019s student-run sports broadcast network, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":250,"featured_media":34903,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[38,13,37,28,29,30],"tags":[736,2479,6496],"class_list":["post-34889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breaking-news","category-news","category-communication","category-top-news","category-ucf-news","category-undergraduate-student-news","tag-college-of-sciences","tag-nicholson-school-of-communication","tag-student-success"],"yoast_head":"\nUCF Students Team Up With ESPN+ for Game Day Coverage\u00a0 - College of Sciences News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/ucf-students-team-up-with-espn-for-game-day-coverage\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UCF Students Team Up With ESPN+ for Game Day Coverage\u00a0 - College of Sciences News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Nicholson School of Communication and Media (NSCM) students gain real-world broadcast experience on the field.  Written by: Emily Dougherty | September 26, 2025  When Knight Nation tunes into ESPN+ before a football game, they\u2019re watching more than the countdown to kickoff. 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