Report: BYU reaches 7-year deal with ESPN to broadcast Cougar home football games

BYU fans storm the field after BYU beat USC in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019. BYU won 30-27 in overtime. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

A long-awaited contract between BYU and ESPN is reportedly near completion.

Stadium national college football expert Brett McMurphy reported Monday that BYU and ESPN have agreed to a seven-year deal that would allow the network to televise BYU home football games through the 2026 season.

BYU & ESPN have agreed on 7-year deal thru 2026 season for the network to televise BYU’s home football games, sources told @Stadium. The deal also will guarantee the Cougars a contracted bowl game each year when bowl-eligible

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 3, 2019

According to McMurphy, this deal would also guarantee BYU a contracted bowl game when the team is bowl eligible, a deal the Cougars have had since going independent in 2011.

In 2010 on the day the Cougars announced they would go independent, ESPN and BYU announced an eight-year deal that allowed the network to televise Cougar home games. That deal was renewed in 2017, through the 2019 season.

BYU wrapped up the 2019 regular season last Saturday, with a 13-3 loss to San Diego State. The Cougars’ home finale was on Nov. 16, a 42-10 win over Idaho State.

In June at BYU’s Media Day, Cougar athletic director Tom Holmoe showed confidence the deal would be done but mentioned the bowl situation was slowing the process. “We’ve been with ESPN for a long time,” he said at the time.

BYU coach Kalani Sitake expressed his appreciation in June for the work Holmoe has done behind the scenes working with ESPN.

”Tom’s done an amazing job as an athletic director in that relationship with ESPN. Putting together the schedules, from what I see, I don’t think he gets enough credit for that,” Sitake said.

This story will be updated.

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