Chambana Sun

Two former Illini, Carey Davis and Kevin Mitchell, will serve as radio analysts for the Illinois football team on the Busey Bank Illini Sports Network during the 2024 season. The network, comprising over 50 stations statewide, brings the Illinois football program to fans across the state and Midwest.

Davis and Mitchell will alternate games throughout the regular season. Davis is set to call the season opener against Eastern Illinois on Thursday, Aug. 29.

The Illini radio booth will continue to feature play-by-play broadcaster Brian Barnhart, who is entering his 23rd season as the "Voice of the Illini." Barnhart provides play-by-play coverage of football and men's basketball while also hosting statewide coaches shows.

Carey Davis was a three-year starting fullback and co-captain for the Fighting Illini in 2003. He was part of Illinois' 2001 Big Ten championship team and concluded his college career with 1,012 rushing yards and 751 receiving yards before moving on to an NFL career that included winning Super Bowl XLIII with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Davis graduated from the University of Illinois with a bachelor's degree in recreation, sport, and tourism in 2003. A St. Louis native, he co-hosts "The Fast Lane" on 101 ESPN St. Louis from 2-6 p.m. CT on weekdays.

Kevin Mitchell was a three-year starting safety and co-captain for Illinois' 2008 Rose Bowl squad. In his senior year in 2007, he led the Big Ten in passes defended and ranked third in interceptions. Over four years, Mitchell accumulated nearly 250 total tackles. He earned a bachelor's degree in speech communication from Illinois' College of Liberal Arts in December 2007. Formerly serving as Illinois' Varsity I Director, Mitchell is now Director of Development at Carle Illinois College of Medicine.

Joining Barnhart and the color analysts this fall are sideline reporter Michael Martin, a former Illini long snapper, and Steve Kelly, a veteran sportscaster handling pregame, halftime, and postgame duties. Kelly has covered Illini athletics for over two decades on television and radio; he hosts "Saturday Morning Sportsline" with Loren Tate on WDWS-AM 1400 in Champaign every Saturday morning. A Champaign native himself, Martin played in 37 games as Illinois' long snapper from 2012-16.

The statewide Busey Bank Fighting Illini Sports Network is managed by Fighting Illini Sports Properties and includes all sponsorships and operational elements. The network's programming features hour-long pregame and postgame shows around live football and men's basketball games along with coverage of women's basketball, volleyball, and baseball.