Eric Collins, Celebrated Hornets Broadcaster, to Make NFL Debut for Fox Sunday

The NBA fan favorite will bring his unique style to the gridiron

Eric Collins (left) has charmed Hornets fans through thin and very thin over the past decade. / Jacob Kupferman / Contributor

When Panthers fans tune into their team's clash with the Dolphins Sunday, they will in all likelihood hear a familiar voice.

Hornets play-by-play broadcaster Eric Collins will make his NFL debut when he calls the game along with ex-Broncos and Washington linebacker Mark Schlereth, he said Tuesday via Shane Connuck of the Charlotte Observer.

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Collins, 56, is a favorite of basketball fans in the Carolinas and beyond for his quirky, excitable style (for instance, a 13-minute supercut of his best calls has nearly 64,000 views on YouTube). He is frequently deployed on Fox's college football coverage, where he has won a degree of viral fame as well.

"It’s a bucket list thing,” Collins said via Connuck. “A perfect situation for me. I’m excited to sleep in my own bed, not in a hotel, and I won’t walk there, but I may walk home. I could become the only NFL announcer who’s ever walked back home."

Charlotte, for which Collins has called games since the 2016 season, is scheduled to open 2026 against the Nets on Oct. 22.

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