Rodney McLeod Ready To Start New Career In TV Booth With ESPN

A video deep in the archives of YouTube from more than a decade ago shows a young Rodney McLeod playing almost a game of “Where’s Waldo,” reading lines and tossing to different Virginia athletics highlights from across Grounds on an edition of “Cavalier Sports Weekly."

That was McLeod’s fortuitous debut as a broadcaster (embedded below), something he can look back and smile at nearly 14 years later.

“We didn't have communications [as a major] at UVA,” McLeod said, a former All-ACC honorable mention safety for the Cavaliers from 2008-2011. “So that was something I was interested in doing when I attended college, but going to Virginia, they didn't have it. But again tried different ways to find a way in, an early entry point.”

Now McLeod is preparing to embark on his second profession after a 13-year playing career in the NFL.

Starting this fall, McLeod is joining ESPN as a college football color analyst where he will call weekly afternoon games on the ACC Network. His first assignment alongside play-by-play announcer Jorge Sedano will be on August 23 with a matchup between Tarleton State and Portland State at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2. McLeod’s ACC Network debut will come in Week 1 on August 30 when Louisville hosts Eastern Kentucky at 3 p.m. ET.

“I'm looking forward to storytelling,” McLeod said on a recent episode of the Hoos On Podcast. “I'm looking forward to teaching the game so that, again, people can see, you know, the sport that I love the way that I do, and more importantly, covering this next generation of talent.”

McLeod never anticipated stepping into the box once his playing career was over, but a role in the media always piqued his interest.

During his playing career, McLeod took part in the NFL’s Broadcasting and Media Workshop or “Broadcast Bootcamp” as it has been known. The experience is a very condensed look into a wide variety of media careers from in-studio analysts to color commentary on both television and radio. He made a number of appearances on NFL Network, CBS Sports, and even hosted the “Dawgs Only Podcast” while with the Cleveland Browns.

But all of those opportunities were almost exclusively in-studio, so a chance to step outside into the booth came as a surprise when ESPN reached out.

“I had no idea about what it actually entailed to actually call a game,” McLeod said. “But what I did realize was when I did the bootcamp was it was one of the closest things to actually playing the game, I would say, outside of being a coach, that really presented itself as a way to put myself into the mind of a player again.”

ESPN put McLeod through an audition process where he was put through a simulation, reacting in real time to the first half of a taped game with no sound. From there he went through a series of interviews with staff and eventually landed the job as a color analyst on ACC Network.

“I've always been a huge study, a film study guru, and all those things have really allowed me to thrive in the game,” McLeod said. “So calling games, again, didn't really see in my future, but here I am.”

A lot has changed across the college sports landscape since McLeod played his final season in Charlottesville back in 2011. For one, the ACC Network he will broadcast games for was barely even a thought at the time. The ACC had 12 teams, still including Maryland, athletes had to sit out a year if they transferred, and they could not be paid whether through NIL or revenue sharing.

McLeod admits he had “blinders” on during his 13 seasons in the NFL, which saw him start as an undrafted free agent for the St. Louis Rams, win a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles, then play for the Indianapolis Colts, and Browns before retiring after last season. While the wrapping paper of the college game has changed dramatically in the decade-plus since he was roaming in the secondary at UVA, McLeod still sees the gift inside the sport as the same.

“I think that because it's still so fresh, at the core of it all, you have those players that again, are just out there having fun and they just want to ball,” McLeod said. “There is a lot that has changed from the fundamentals to the schematics and from a technical standpoint, when it comes to the game of college ball that is what I have quickly identified, you see a lot of similarities of what we're doing in NFL that are now transitioning into college ball, which didn't necessarily exist as much when I say that I played back in 2011.”

McLeod steps into a conference that shares a lot more than schemes and techniques with the NFL, as the ACC now features many familiar faces from his NFL journey. The former Cavalier attended ACC Kickoff in Charlotte this summer to gain insight into the conference heading into his first season calling games. Conversations with the ACC’s coaches, players, and others turned into a mini NFL reunion with people like Stanford interim head coach Frank Reich, who coached McLeod for one season with the Colts, Stanford general manager Andrew Luck, UNC head coach Bill Belichick, while also discovering a connection with Duke coach Manny Diaz.

“I think now with the SMUs of the world, even Stanford, I'm looking forward to that under Frank Reich that I had the opportunity to meet at a few stops in the league, Philly and Indy, how he can possibly get that, that team back to, you know, what Stanford is known for,” McLeod said. “Bill Belichick, right, UNC, there's so much like NFL people that are now stepping into the college world. I am like a little kid right now at the toy store because there's so many new things that are going to help the game.”

Among the many conversations McLeod had at ACC media days were those with his alma mater and head coach Tony Elliott. McLeod says he has talked to Elliott a few times over the years and has a close relationship with Director of Athletics Carla Williams. McLeod sat down to interview each Virginia player at the event in quarterback Chandler Morris, offensive lineman Noah Josey, defensive tackle Jahmeer Carter, and defensive end Mitchell Melton.

McLeod said he came away impressed with Morris from their conversation, making reference to his experience in college football, but also with his dad, former Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris, and Elliott. What struck McLeod most, though, was his conversation with Elliott and the coach’s conviction over the roster heading into the season with 54 new players.

“Comes from a winning culture and is looking to install that into the Virginia Cavaliers, where I played, and I know it's been a challenge over the years,” McLeod said. “He believes now with the help of the portal and being able to land a good group of guys that fit the mold that they're going for at Virginia. And more importantly, what he spoke about is also the depth that came from that, which we know iron sharpens iron and depth forces true competition and a lot of growth within each player.”

Virginia has not been selected for a bowl game since 2021 and has not played in the postseason since the 2019 Orange Bowl, but McLeod sees that changing this year.

“We’re going to look past getting into a bowl game, that’s kind of minimal expectations,” McLeod said. “But more being in the conversation for a potential spot in the ACC Championship. That is what they’re striving for and I believe that they will have a shot.”

As for himself, the trip to Charlotte also provided McLeod the chance to meet people from around the industry as he prepares to make the jump into his next career. McLeod said he has leaned on former players turned analysts like former Boston College standout Will Blackmon and former Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel for tips thanks to some chance meetings.

But just as was the case during his playing days, McLeod is leaning on his film prep the most. He’s watching broadcasts to learn certain situations or how to balance breaking down the previous play versus preparing for the next one. Ultimately, this season will feel similar to his first fall camp at UVA or his first year in St. Louis with the Rams.

“You really have to go through it, you can take nuggets from people, but you have to make it your own, you have to find out what breeds success for you in that position,” McLeod said. “So it'll be some trial and error, I know I’ll struggle as a rookie, it’s rookie season all over again, and I’m looking for my OG veterans to give me some game tips.”

Since retiring from the NFL in January, life hasn’t been all about preparations for this next step.

McLeod and his wife, Erika, launched the Change Our Future Foundation a few years ago focused on removing barriers in under-served communities through education and advocacy and they also just hosted their fifth annual Sneaker Ball in their home city of Philadelphia earlier this summer. McLeod was honored by the NFLPA with the Alan Page Community Award back in 2022 for his efforts with the foundation, the NFLPA’s highest honor.

The biggest change for McLeod, however, has been spending the month of August with his wife and their daughter after 13 years of NFL training camps.

“For the past 13 years, you know, this time period doesn't exist,” McLeod said. “I would be somewhere preparing for a practice, putting my body with some electrolytes and get ready to get to it, and now I'm here chasing my daughter around, so completely different time of the year for me.”

The travel of another football season will still be there, though McLeod noted his family can actually join him on the road now. One trip he is pushing to be assigned is one back to Charlottesville. Due to his schedule over the years, McLeod says he has never been back for a game at Scott Stadium.

“That was probably one of the first things that came to my mind once I found out I got the job was how I how this could be my first time back in Scott Stadium is in the booth,” McLeod said. “Which would be strange, because I haven't been to a UVA game since I graduated.”

Although he never intended to put the microphone on and watch football from a booth, McLeod has embraced the opportunity to do one of his biggest passion’s in life: telling people’s stories, especially in the game he loves.

“I think as I exit the game, what I’m really trying to discover is just how I want to contribute to the sport that's given so much to me,” McLeod said. “This first step is, hey, let’s get into calling games. I can’t say that I’m going to be in that seat five years from now. But I’m going to give everything I have to it right then and there. And I’m going to listen to my heart and follow that, because that’s never lied to me.”

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[caption id="attachment_3630826" align="alignleft" width="535"] Rodney McLeod made it on the field as a freshman. ~ Photo by Mike Ingalls/TheSabre.com