Atlanta media will be well represented in the press box and on the sidelines of college football this fall.
ESPN has announced more additions to the talent that will be on hand for CFB coverage starting this Thursday, and the faces will be familiar to local sports fans.
The sports network announced that WXIA/WATL lead sports reporter/anchor Maria Martin will be doing sideline duty this Friday for the UTEP vs. Number 10 ranked Oklahoma game, starting at 8 PM on ESPN Network+. Martin will be paired with commentators Ted Emrich and Fozzy Whittaker. This will be Martin’s debut as a CFB reporter for ESPN.
“For as long as I can remember, all I’ve wanted to do was be around football. To say I’m thrilled is an understatement,” wrote Martin on her Instagram account. “Pumped to sideline for @ESPNCFB this week/be around the conference I’ve been around my whole life!” This is the only game Martin is scheduled for this season so far.
Martin has done previous sideline stints with ESPN for college basketball, covering Kennesaw State University men’s games, including their 2023 March Madness tournament appearance. The Emmy Award winner has been a part of 11 Alive since October 2019.
ESPN also announced the return of Atlanta-based ESPN sideline reporter Marilyn Payne. This is Payne’s fifth year as a reporter for ESPN
CFB, and she will start this season at the Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. number 25 ranked Missouri at 8 PM, Sept 3 on the ESPN-owned SEC Network. Chuckie Kempf and Dustin Fox are the play-by-play announcers. She will be heard on ESPN Radio at the Liberty Mutual Music City Kickoff in Nashville on Sept. 6 at 7:30 pm, with No. 24 Louisville taking on No. 9 Ole Miss. Mike Cousins and Max Starks will be at the booth while Payne will be on the sidelines.
“Thankful to cover 3 ranked teams in their season-openers (& two games) this week to kick off Year 5 with @espncfb,” Payne posted on her Instagram Wendesday night.
Other previously announced local talent will also be seen and heard on ESPN CFB this season:
Matt Stinchcomb: This longtime local sports journalist joins play-by-play Taylor Zarzour and sideline reporter Alyssa Lang for SEC CFB. He has
been with ESPN since June 2009. He started as an analyst and host at Comcast Sports Southeast, as well as pregame analysis for Fox Sports South and CBS Sports. He provided Georgia Bulldogs analysis at WCNN 680 The Fan and WSB 750/95.5 Radio. Before his broadcast career, Stinchcomb was a defensive tackle with the Georgia Bulldogs and played for the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders. He will be teamed with Taylor Zarzour and Michella Chester for the Kent State at South Carolina Game, Saturday, September 5th at 12:45 pm on SEC Network.
Roddy Jones: Like Stinchcomb, Jones can draw from his own gridiron experiences, as he was one of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets’ rushing defense
team from 2008-11. He joined ESPN as a sideline reporter in 2017, and now provides analysis for the network. He can be heard on the ACC Network Football Podcast and on some college sports programs on SiriusXM. He covered ACC games for Raycom Sports from 2015-16. In addition to college football, he also covers college baseball for the ACC Network. He has not yet been scheduled for a game as of this posting.
Benjamin Watson: The former Bulldog (2001-2003) and NFL player (Patriots, Browns, Saints, and Ravens) is now a college football studio analyst for the SEC Network. He also appears on SEC Now, SEC Football Final, and the SEC Kickoff program. He has not yet been scheduled for a game as of this post.
These talents join Wes Durham (game caller), Aaron Murray (analysis), Sherree Burruss and Madison Hock (both sideline reporters) as local sports media talents who will be a part of ESPN’s storied yearly coverage of college football this season. There are nine total people as part of the full ESPN CFB broadcast crew who are (or were) Atlanta media professionals or lived in Atlanta.
The season started last week as Week 0, with a few matchups taking place. CFB Season 2026-27 Week 1 starts in earnest this Thursday on ESPN’s networks. Talent could be added to other CFB games in the future. Schedules and assignments may change. The latest ESPN broadcaster assignments are available here.
Updated 9/2/2026 to include post by Payne.
Photo credits (feature image): WXIA TV/ Courtney Greer; Instagram (Marliyn Payne)
