Longtime College Football Announcer Ryan Harris Is Leaving For The NFL

It's rare to see a longtime college football announcer making the jump to the next level, but it does happen.

Kirk Herbstreit, for example, has continued to call college football while also calling NFL games for Amazon Prime. But that's pretty rare. Still, it shows that college football announcers can sometimes do both - or even one or the other.

Heading into the 2026 college football and NFL regular seasons, one longtime college football announcer has decided to leave, making the jump to the pros, instead.

Former Notre Dame Fighting Irish offensive lineman and Super Bowl champion Ryan Harris, who has been calling games for the South Bend program for nearly 10 years, has decided to leave for the NFL.

Harris is departing after eight seasons.

Longtime Notre Dame announcer leaving

Harris is excited to pursue NFL announcing opportunities.

He announced his decision on social media.

"I will be devoting the next season of my life to pursuing NFL and television opportunities, and completing my final semester of law school," Harris wrote on social media. "I move on with a full heart, grateful for all the opportunities that Notre Dame has provided me and the people who made me better."

Harris will certainly be missed by Notre Dame fans.

"You will be missed. You'll do great in your next venture. God Bless," one wrote.

"Love you brother. You'll be dearly missed. Go Irish!" one added.

"Ryan, I'm not disappointed in your decision, but disappointed I won't hear your voice calling the Irish going forward. You brought amazing energy and insight to the booth. Good luck in your next endeavors! Can't wait to hear you call NFL games," one shared.

Best of luck with the next endeavor.

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This story was originally published May 17, 2026 at 7:08 AM.