Teamworks, via its app and various platforms, already exists on virtually all levels of college athletics. Now, it's coming into the mainstream consciousness of college football fans.
The ever-expanding and evolving company on Friday announced an exclusive new partnership with ESPN, one that will provide the network with access to the company's coaching and scouting platforms.
Initially a company that specialized in an app used widely by directors of football operations for providing scheduling information, direct communication and other elements for entire organizations, Teamworks has expanded into essentially every element of college athletics -- including the fact that Teamworks has been a conduit for schools paying student-athletes in this Name, Image and Likeness era to the tune of nearly $200 million.
This new partnership, per Teamworks's announcement, gives ESPN -- specifically the company's research personnel -- access to the highly detailed analytical data utilized by college football programs across the country.
"Our platform was built with a deep understanding of how coaches and personnel executives evaluate talent and prepare for competition. ESPN's research team will now have the same strategic insights that help elite programs make critical decisions about player evaluation and game planning," per a statement from Jeremy Hochstedler, who founded Telemetry and transitioned to Teamworks after the company's acquisition.
As the company displayed earlier this month at the annual recruiting and personnel symposium in Nashville, Teamworks -- with its acquisition of Telemetry Sports -- now has the ability to break down everything from a player's top speed, most effective reps, play speed, deceleration and countless other elements that assess player performance in a game. The platform already was being utilized by 25 college football programs as well as 25 NFL franchises as of earlier this month, according to Teamworks Senior Manager of Football Partnerships, Sam Curtis.
ESPN, per Teamworks, specifically will have access to "advanced player tracking, game planning analytics and predictive intelligence." The predictive intelligence component is expected to allow ESPN the ability, if the network chooses, to use the analytics to identify "optimal matchups" as well as the ability to share what the analytical data suggest for key coaching decisions, such as what the metrics might indicate a team should do if it is facing fourth-and-3 from its own 47-yard line.
Of note, ESPN's staff will have access to the Teamworks coaching and scouting platforms as the network prepares for its fall slate of broadcasting college football games across its various networks, including ABC and the SEC Network, among others. It will be available for ESPN's College GameDay as well, Teamworks told FootballScoop.
ESPN kicks of its 2025 College GameDay slate Aug. 30 in Columbus, Ohio, where the defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes host the Texas Longhorns. That show also marks the end of Lee Corso's decorated run as ESPN's top College GameDay personality. The 90-year-old Corso, a former college head coach, is retiring after being a part of the show since its 1987 inception.