A back injury suffered in high school prevented Jac Collinsworth from chasing his dream of playing football at the college level and in the NFL. Unlike his father, Cris Collinsworth, he did not get to live out his boyhood dream of catching a pass in the Super Bowl.
He did follow in his father’s footsteps in another facet, though, as the younger Collinsworth has become a prominent sportscaster. Here’s everything to know about Jac and his journey.
Who Is Jac Collinsworth?
Jac was born to Cris and Holly Collinsworth in Fort Thomas, Kentucky, in February of 1995. He graduated from Highland High School in 2013. Jac was a standout wide receiver for the football team in 2011, catching 26 passes, 495 yards, and five touchdowns.
Unfortunately, the aforementioned back injury suffered in 2012 caused him to pivot his focus to broadcasting.
Collinsworth grew up around the game and cultivated a passion for it. His father was a prominent broadcaster from the moment Jac was born. Combine that with an older brother, Austin, who played football at Notre Dame, and it’s not hard to connect the dots regarding the path Jac’s taken to this point in his life.
Jac would go on to study at Notre Dame, graduating in 2017. He’d quickly establish himself as a legitimate source for Fighting Irish news, catching on with NBC’s sideline production team for Notre Dame football broadcasts.
MORE: Who Are the NBC NFL Halftime Commentators?
He earned himself some very impressive opportunities in the process, handling sideline coverage duties for the team’s annual Blue-Gold game in the spring and covering two Notre Dame pro days for NFL Network.
Collinsworth would catch on with ESPN after graduating college, appearing regularly on Sunday NFL Countdown as well as NFL Live in the offseason. But he’d eventually depart the “worldwide leader in sports entertainment” for an opportunity to return to his old stomping grounds at NBC.
Now, he’s covering the NFL alongside his father, serving as a sideline reporter while also conducting in-game and post-game interviews.
That, of course, is the role most know Jac for now. He continues to take on more and more responsibility with NBC, including stepping in to co-host the Super Bowl LVI pregame show. In addition to football, Jac is also covered some of the biggest events at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games with the Network’s Gold Zone.
At just 30 years old, Collinsworth figures to be a prominent voice in the sports media space for decades to come.
