Fortuitous Timing: Cornette To Host ACC Network's Saturday Football Show
After 133 years of independence, some Notre Dame fans may still experience slight nausea as they watch their beloved Fighting Irish play in the ACC this fall. It’s a feeling that may not go away until we're (hopefully) well into the swing of the 2020 college football season.
Fortunately, every Saturday morning, this new Notre Dame fan experience will come with a familiar face. Helping to guide them through this foreign 10-game ACC schedule will be none other than former Notre Dame Men’s Basketball player Jordan Cornette, a member of the program from 2001-05.
Since 2018, he has worked as an ESPN personality and joined the ACC Network when it launched last year. Then, two weeks ago, Cornette accepted a new role as the host of the ACC's The Huddle, which is the network's “signature football show.”
"I joke with everybody that the deal with [Notre Dame Athletic Director] Jack Swarbrick and [ACC Commissioner] John Swofford to bring Notre Dame in would have gone a lot smoother if they were able to nail this down a little bit quicker with me," Cornette said. "Obviously, I say that in jest. Honestly, it was all in the works before there was any potential for Notre Dame to join the conference.
"For me, it fell into place as a very lucky added benefit because I was going to be doing this job before Notre Dame ever had the discussions."
The two-hour program will air every Saturday at 10 a.m. ET during the season, starting on Sept. 5. Along with analysts Eric Mac Lain, EJ Manuel and Mark Richt, Cornette will preview that day’s slate of ACC Football games, which now includes the Fighting Irish almost every weekend this fall.
Needless to say, Cornette is excited about the opportunity, even if he's slightly worried about Notre Dame fans giving him a hard time due to a few poor shooting performances from back in the day.
“Now that I'm not out there going one-for-six from the three-point line at a Notre Dame basketball game, there's no reason for anybody to not like me,” Cornette said, unable to help himself from laughing. “I'm not hurting the cause on the court. I'm only sharing the news and reporting on the fantastic performances for student-athletes across the landscape, and that includes my alma mater as well.”
His new role with the ACC Network will also give the 6-9 Cornette a chance to showcase the football knowledge he's honed over his decade-plus broadcasting career, which includes prior stops at CBS, WCIU-TV, the Big 10 Network and, of course, at Notre Dame as the color commentator for the men's basketball program.
Still, Cornette is aware that some people may be skeptical of his football aptitude initially.
"I never played organized football. I was always focused on baseball and basketball, but I was always an avid fan," he said. "To me, it's always funny because people are like, 'Well he's a basketball guy,' and I think some of the great hosts in any sport. How about a Bob Costas? Was he the quarterback for four years at Notre Dame? What's his background?"
Cornette is well aware of the tendency others have to put people in certain categories and have a limited view of their potential. Instead of listening to naysayers, he remains positive and has focused on growing his skills as a host and analyst.
It also helps that he's kept a close eye on the conference's newest member since he enrolled at Notre Dame in the fall of 2001. But now, as a veteran television and radio host, don't expect him to show any on-air bias toward the Fighting Irish, even if it's impossible to ignore that Notre Dame is his alma mater.
He watched his school lose to Clemson in the 2018 Cotton Bowl in a brutal 30-3 fashion and knows most ACC Network viewers are skeptical that the Fighting Irish can get past this college football powerhouse as a temporary member of the ACC.
Cornette also believes Notre Dame has one of the most difficult schedules in the conference, even if the team went 14-1 against ACC opponents in the regular season dating back to 2017.
"We know Notre Dame has fared incredibly favorably these last few seasons against ACC opponents," Cornette said. "I think it's gonna be some really fascinating matchups. Florida State is a team that is on the rise. A lot of people think they can be the surprise team in college football, at least what's left of it with the teams that are choosing to play. North Carolina has a professional quarterback Sam Howell, who had one of the most special freshman seasons you'll see."
Even in his new role with The Huddle, Cornette still plans to assist the ACC Network in its coverage of men's college basketball this fall and spring as an analyst, further proving his versatility.
"Naturally, I have an immense love for basketball," he said. "It has created so many opportunities and opened so many doors for me, starting with my four years through Notre Dame, but it's also allowed me other opportunities like The Huddle show. I am not one to close the door on anything.
"As long as they'll have me, I'm happy to be doing it all. I expect to be calling basketball games and doing a lot of hosting on the basketball front this season as well."
While acknowledging that it’s still weird for him to see Notre Dame Men’s Basketball in playing in the ACC (the program was in the Big East during his time in South Bend), Cornette has rejuvenated expectations for the Fighting Irish, even after losing Rex Pflueger, TJ Gibbs and John Mooney.
Like many others, Cornette has also heard good things about Stanford transfer Cormac Ryan and believes Notre Dame will have a talented nucleus of players. In fact, his biggest worry when it comes to the 2020-21 college basketball season (assuming it happens) is that one particularly Notre Dame player will do a little too well on the defensive end.
Currently, Cornette is Notre Dame's all-time leader in blocked shots, with 201 over the course of his four-year career, but 6-11 Fighting Irish power forward Juwan Durham is within reach (129 blocks at Notre Dame and a total of 138 blocks including his freshman season at Connecticut).
"I've had some fun with him on social media," Cornette said of Durham. "But it's my claim to fame. It's all I got. It's all I'm holding on to, at least for now. 15 years standing is a pretty good run so far."
But even if Durham does off for 72 blocks this season and breaks Cornette's Notre Dame record, the former stretch power forward says that he will always owe a lot to the university and men's basketball program, which is where his pursuit of a career in broadcasting first began.
"It gave me untapped resources," he said. "There's a guy that if you talk to any former basketball player at Notre Dame in the last 20 years, they'll mention this guy time and time again. It's Pat Holmes, who's the academic advisor...
"I wasn't a superstar. So he challenged me to say, 'hey, if that's not going to be the path, what are you going to get out of your four years here that make it worthwhile that you chose Notre Dame?'"
From there, Cornette became proactive in pursuit of information. Every interaction with a reporter, camera person or member of the media was a learning experience, a chance to prod, flip the script and ask his own questions.
Eventually, head coach Mike Brey suggested he get involved with the Notre Dame Radio Network and his broadcasting career has continued to flourish ever since.
In addition to his on-camera responsibilities with ESPN and the ACC Network, Cornette will also host a show on ESPN Radio with his wife Shae Peppler Cornette, an experienced host at SiriusXM NFL Radio and former sports anchor and reporter covering the Chicago Bears for Fox 32 News.
This means that Notre Dame fans will have plenty of opportunities to watch and hear Cornette throughout the fall, spring and winter, which should provide a much-needed escape for many during such a trying time in modern history.
All the Notre Dame fans have to do is forget about a couple of one-for-six shooting performances and enjoy the dynamic personality Cornette has honed over the last two decades.
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