Yogi Roth wants to coach a couple million viewers every Saturday on NBC

From coaching to broadcasting

Roth’s broadcast boards carry a reminder to celebrate the game and coach viewers. He developed that approach after leaving Pete Carroll’s USC staff, where he worked with the Trojans’ quarterbacks for four seasons.

Roth told Awful Announcing that leaving coaching created a major gap in his life. “You get to go, coach a couple million every Saturday,” Roth said, describing what he enjoys about reaching viewers.

A week built around preparation

Roth starts preparing on Sunday evening, first outlining a broad theory of the teams and the matchup. He then refines or changes that view as he watches film and speaks with people during the week.

On Monday and Tuesday, he studies each team, speaks with school sports information directors and uses analytics research supplied by NBC. Those conversations help him learn details beyond the basics before meeting coaches and players.

Crew study and game day

On Wednesday morning, Roth leads an hour-long film session for the production crew, reviewing about 130 plays and discussing packages and tendencies. He said crew members often bring their own ideas to the session.

After stepping away to spend time with his family, Roth travels on Thursday and focuses on situational football, including late-game and halftime decisions. He meets with the home team and attends production meetings before Saturday’s broadcast.

A network he admired

Roth grew up in northeastern Pennsylvania, where NBC’s Notre Dame broadcasts were a weekend fixture. He also noted that former Notre Dame quarterback Ron Powlus came from the same part of the state. Roth said he held NBC in high regard and that it topped his list when he and his representatives discussed potential employers.