ESPN, SiriusXM to partner on 24-hour college sports station, ESPNU Radio

ESPNU is getting its own radio station.

ESPN announced Wednesday that it has teamed up with SiriusXM satellite radio on ESPNU Radio, a 24/7 radio station devoted exclusively to college sports. The channel will debut Thursday and feature hosts and analysts from both ESPN and SiriusXM, including — deep breath — Greg McElroy, Rick Neuheisel, Steve Spurrier, Phil Savage, Jonathan Vilma, Ryan Leaf, James Laurinaitis, A.J. Hawk, Danny Kanell, Brad Hopkins, Charles Arbuckle, Fran Fraschilla, Seth Greenberg, Taylor Zarzour, Mark Packer, Chris Childers, Andy Staples, David Moulton and Braden Gall. Other big-name analysts like Kirk Herbstreit and Jay Bilas will make weekly appearances.

The channel will be a re-branded version of SiriusXM College Sports Nation, which made news recently by hiring Spurrier as well as Kanell, an ex-ESPNer who was laid off there in April.

From the press release ESPN sent out, it sounds like much of ESPNU Radio’s content will be simulcasts. The channel will air audio versions of College GameDay and other shows while also broadcasting events already airing on ESPN Radio. It will also be home to various ESPN college sports podcasts.

It’s unclear what ESPNU Radio will air at night or during the summer, but the channel promises to be 24/7. That means if you find yourself driving at 3 a.m. on a Tuesday morning next July in a car with access to SiriusXM, you will be able to catch up on whatever happens to be going on in college sports at the moment.

In addition to introducing ESPNU Radio, ESPN announced that it had extended its relationship with SiriusXM for five years, meaning ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes Radio and ESPN Xtra will continue to have a home on the satellite radio provider.

“SiriusXM has been a strong partner with us for 16 years now,” ESPN executive Traug Keller said. “With this new extension, we look forward to continuing to bring our unique and diverse content to SiriusXM. The addition of ESPNU Radio to SiriusXM’s lineup will bring ESPNU’s signature perspective and the sounds of the game to a broader swath of fans.”