Ernie Johnson makes personal announcement before March Madness originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Veteran broadcaster Ernie Johnson is stepping back from the early rounds of this year’s NCAA Tournament, leaving CBS and TNT Sports’ March Madness studio coverage with a different look for the first two weeks.
Johnson, who has co-hosted tournament coverage since Turner Sports partnered with CBS in 2011, will not appear during the opening rounds. Nate Burleson has been tabbed as the "next man up" and will get experience in his first tournament this year. He will join studio teams alongside Adam Zucker and Adam Lefkoe. Johnson is expected to return to anchor coverage of the Final Four, which will air on TNT Sports networks.
Burleson will also host college basketball studio coverage on CBS and CBSSN ahead of the tournament, signaling an expanded role within CBS Sports. He said on CBS Mornings that basketball was the first sport he fell in love with and that he had long hoped to contribute to coverage under the network’s umbrella.
Legendary sportscaster Ernie Johnson is “taking a step back from the first few rounds” of March Madness — and our very own @nateburleson is stepping in for the first two weeks of the tournament, alongside Adam Zucker and Adam Lefkoe.
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) February 19, 2026
Watch the tournament next month across @CBS,… pic.twitter.com/2cGgtnGa6M
Johnson’s reduced tournament role comes as TNT-produced NBA studio shows, including Inside the NBA, ramp up appearances on ESPN and ABC. He is slated to work through the end of the NBA season and will help lead coverage of the NBA Finals as ABC’s primary studio show.
More:Kansas' Bill Self 'concerned' about Darryn Peterson’s availability
This would make him the first broadcaster since Brent Musburger in 1984 to host both the NCAA men’s Final Four and NBA Finals in the same year.
More: Michigan great Jalen Rose takes on dramatically new role in South West High
The shift also reflects a broader transition for CBS. Following the death of longtime host Greg Gumbel in 2024 and Jim Nantz stepping away from tournament duties, March Madness coverage is entering a new era.
More college basketball news:
- Adrian Autry buyout, contract details as Syracuse Orange coach
- 'Basketball Saved My Life': Why Master P came home to rebuild New Orleans
- Bruce Pearl sends warning to NBA teams about Kansas' Darryn Peterson
- Why FOX blocked St. John’s from participating in a major college basketball event
- John Calipari says college athletics is broken — Here’s his plan to fix it