Mark Sanchez’s FOX team has been announced
It won’t feature Thomas Jones and Braylon Edwards, but Mark Sanchez will nonetheless be working with an accomplished unit come the 2021 NFL season.
Fox Sports unveiled its booth pairings for its 28th season of NFL coverage, which begins on Sept. 12. Sanchez, a former New York Jets quarterback, is one of several NFL veterans joining Fox’s fold. The Jets’ top pick from 2009 will serve as a game analyst alongside play-by-play man Kevin Kugler and sideline reporter Laura Okmin.
Sanchez joins Fox’s coverage after two seasons with ESPN’s college football team. He’ll join another relative newcomer in Kugler, who is best known for his radio coverage of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament’s Final Four on Westwood One. Kugler has also partaken in Fox’s college basketball coverage on Big Ten Network and Fox Sports 1. His NFL experience includes calling Sunday night games for Westwood One and Dial Global.
On the sidelines, Okmin has been with Fox since 2006, making her the network’s second-longest tenured active reporter behind only Pam Oliver (who returns for her 27th season). Okmin, who has likewise appeared on Westwood One, is also the founder and oversee of GALVANIZE, a training and mentoring program for women seeking career opportunities in sports.
The modern Jets are scheduled to make two appearances on Fox’s Sunday coverage this year, both being home contests against NFC South opponents. They’ll face the New Orleans Saints on December 12 and the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the penultimate week of the season on Jan. 2.
Other new NFL alumni joining the booth as Fox analysts include Greg Olsen, Charles Woodson, and Aqib Talib.
Another former Jet, linebacker Jonathan Vilma, returns for his second season alongside longtime play-by-play man Kenny Albert, while Sara Walsh and Lindsay Czarniak will report from the sidelines. Vilma and Albert were previously paired with Shannon Spake, who joins the Adam Amin-Mark Schlereth duo.
Joe Buck and Troy Aikman remain Fox’s top pairing, as 2021 will mark their 20th season together. Their next debut, part of Fox’s America’s Game of the Week package, comes in Week 1’s 4:25 p.m. ET slot when the New Orleans Saints will battle the Green Bay Packers.
Buck and Aikman also retain Thursday Night Football duties. The Jets’ annual Thursday night date comes on Nov. 4 in Indianapolis.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
