Jay Bilas to Replace Dick Vitale on ESPN's Saturday Prime-Time Games

Updates from Thursday, Oct. 2

ESPN announced that Jay Bilas has extended his contract with ESPN on Thursday, via Tim Baysinger of BroadcastingCable.com:

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Jay Bilas has agreed to a new contract through the 2022-23 season, adding the network’s primetime Saturday games to his role on College GameDay. The morning pregame show, like the college football version, originates from the site of that night’s primetime game.

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'Jay Bilas is a tremendous contributor to ESPN in so many ways, and we are delighted to extend our relationship with him,' said John Wildhack, ESPN’s executive VP of production and programming. 'He is among a small group of commentators who transcend genres based on his ability to inform and educate sports fans, break down game action and articulate how and why things happen in college basketball and the sports world at large.'

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Original Text

Those hoping to get the most out of their Saturday night college basketball experience in 2014-15 had better bone up on their Young Jeezy references. According to a report from Jason McIntyre of The Big Lead, Jay Bilas will be replacing Dick Vitale as the color commentator for ESPN's prime-time Saturday slate of games for the upcoming season.    

ESPN has not confirmed the report, though an announcement should come soon as the network prepares its 2014-15 broadcast schedule. As noted by McIntyre, Vitale has been the main color analyst for the prime-time telecasts—which usually coincide with the location of their College GameDay broadcasts—since the program's inception nine years ago.

Dan Shulman, who has done play-by-play with Vitale, will continue in his role with Bilas. The new arrangement comes as part of a new long-term extension the former Duke forward signed with ESPN, which will keep him with the network through 2023. McIntyre noted that while this appears to be a demotion for Vitale, he will continue with ESPN and recently signed a contract extension as well.

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The arrangement in many ways feels similar to how ESPN transitioned its Saturday night college football broadcast earlier this year. Chris Fowler, who like Bilas was due for a new contract, was granted play-by-play duties for ABC's marquee game in favor of longtime broadcaster Brent Musburger. Musburger was transitioned to the SEC Network, which is partially owned by ESPN, where he is part of the lead broadcast team with Jesse Palmer.

Similarly, Fowler (like Bilas) is a staple on the football College GameDay and signed a new extension through 2023. The deals offer both the network and its employees security. ESPN gets to maintain a relationship with a talent for nine more years, allowing Bilas to develop a rapport with Shulman over the long haul. Bilas, of course, gets a nice chunk of change over nine years—a near-unprecedented contract length in today's shifting media culture.

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Bilas, who is also a practicing attorney, has cultivated a large following through younger-skewing references and an outspokenness on NCAA policy.

His Twitter feed is littered with rap references—mostly to Mr. Thug Motivation himself—and opinions regarding college sports' governing body. Bilas has long been one of the staunchest advocates for paying college athletes, which at least creates an interesting dynamic given ESPN's business relationship with major conferences.

The move may begin a slow transition away from the national stage for Vitale, who has been the face of ESPN's college basketball programming for more than three decades. Vitale joined the network after being fired by the NBA's Detroit Pistons in 1979 and has become one of the most exuberant broadcasters in history. His eccentric mannerisms and unbridled enthusiasm are still to this day unmatched.

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With Vitale recently turning 75 in June, the move at the very least is a look to the future for ESPN. Vitale will now be part of ESPN's lead afternoon schedule on Saturdays while also working regularly during the weeknight college basketball schedule.

"There aren't many guys my age who can fill a schedule that I'm going to do," Vitale told Reid Cherner of USA Today. "I feel like I have the energy of a 25-year-old. I'll match my energy, my passion, my love for game with anybody. I still have it and I hope to have for a number of years."

Even if it's a transition from the norm, ESPN seems to be attempting to make a move that's best for the long-term happiness of all sides.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter