In sports broadcasting, a spotter plays a pivotal role in helping broadcasters sound sharp, deliver real-time information and add depth to the action. For the last eight years, Jeff Calhoun has been that behind-the-scenes presence, spotting for ESPN crews and making sure voices like Joe Tessitore’s have what they need in the booth.
Calhoun’s love for sports was instilled early. His father, Jim Calhoun, built a Hall of Fame career on the sidelines as a college basketball coach, spending decades at Northeastern and later UConn. Growing up in that environment, Jeff was surrounded by the game. He played in every camp he could, spent hours in gyms.
His father never pushed him into sports. However, he relayed one message: When you commit to doing this, to being involved in something or trying to be the best at something, you do it with everything you have. That mindset carried Jeff through his playing days at UConn and later into his unexpected career in broadcasting.
In 1992, Calhoun started attending the University of Connecticut and eventually earned a spot on their basketball team, under his father.
“In high school it’s light, it’s easy, it’s playing with your friends. In college it takes on a lot more pressure, a lot more seriousness,” Calhoun said. “It’s still fun, just a different kind of fun.”
Throughout his time at UConn, Calhoun dealt with a string of injuries that repeatedly set him back. The constant setbacks shaped his experience as a college athlete and forced him to see the game from a different perspective.
In 1996, Calhoun graduated from UConn. While his playing days were behind him, he wanted to stay involved in sports and was presented with multiple options. He was offered a couple of grad assistant coaching roles but turned those down. Instead, he shifted to insurance.
“I’ve always had some semblance of staying attached to the industry, I did a lot,” Calhoun said. “I worked with a lot of professional athletes on the insurance side for a long time.”
He also got involved in private aviation.
Eventually, he befriended Jason Benetti, at the time a broadcaster at ESPN, and Benetti asked Calhoun to spot for him. “He asked me if I would spot for him in football,” Calhoun said. “I didn’t know what it meant, but I said yes. And he taught me how to do it.”
Coincidentally, the first game he ever spotted was a football game between UConn and Virginia, on Sept. 16, 2017.
Since then, he’s never looked back.
Benetti also called college basketball, which Calhoun was also there for. This helped him foster a good reputation in spotting and build more connections.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, travel looked different across the industry. Most broadcasters stayed home, but spotters were still on the road to provide eyes and information from the booth. Around that time, Joe Tessitore returned to college football after a stint calling the NFL on ESPN.
Tessitore, who Calhoun had known since his days covering UConn for Channel 3 in Hartford, asked him to spot. That opportunity opened the door to bigger assignments.
In his time with Tessitore, ESPN acquired the rights to broadcast SEC football and has grown its College Football Playoff coverage. This has led to Calhoun experiencing crazy environments and games.
“Michigan versus Alabama in the Rose Bowl two years ago was a great game. Ohio State vs Georgia in the Peach Bowl, a few years ago with CJ Stroud was a great game,” Calhoun said. “I did the Red River shootout. That was so fun. I’ve done the Whiteout game at Penn State. I’ve done some big games.”
This past year, the SEC on ABC won an Emmy. Since Calhoun is a part of their crew, he received one of the trophies.
I like the teamwork. I like the fact that during the game, there’s like kind of nothing else that you can think about.
Jeff Calhoun, ESPN Broadcaster and UConn Alumn
“I think the pressure of [spotting is my favorite part]. You got to get it right. If I get it wrong, nobody knows that I’ve got it wrong. I just make Joe look bad,” Calhoun said. “I like the teamwork. I like the fact that during the game, there’s like kind of nothing else that you can think about. You’re just so locked in because you have to be. At the end of the day, I go to some of the best college football games in the country.”
On top of that, in 2022, Benetti also made the jump to calling six NFL games per year, also exposing Calhoun to the league.
In the process, Calhoun has gotten to see the work put into a TV broadcast first-hand.
“I don’t think I ever appreciated certain things before I got into this,” Calhoun said. “Kind of all that goes into a TV broadcast, you know, how much teamwork it takes and how much prep and work. It’s a lot of people kind of working together to get that game on the air.”
While still being very successful in aviation and insurance, Calhoun describes spotting as a side hustle, but he’s made his mark in the role and built a reputation for reliability on some of ESPN’s biggest stages. In many ways, he’s lived out his father’s message from years ago, if you commit to something, you give it everything you have.
“This is a total side gig,” Calhoun said. “I do a lot of it: college football, about six NFL games a year on FOX with Jason, the UFL in the spring on ESPN. It adds up, but at the end of the day it’s just a fun side job for me.”