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| Marcus Spears |
He's really not worried about being seen, though. He's focused on doing his job, and if he does it well he knows things will be fine -- even if his path to the job was somewhat unusual.
At this time last year, Spears was preparing for his first season with the Baltimore Ravens. He had spent the previous eight seasons with the Dallas Cowboys after being selected in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft and the Ravens offered an opportunity to extend his playing career.
Unfortunately for him, that opportunity lasted only into the seventh week of the season before he was cut and returned to his home in Dallas.
Then, for the next chapter of his life, he was initially more worried about what to watch on TV than finding a job on TV.
"When I first heard about the SEC Network, I was just trying to find out if DirecTV would pick it," Spears said. "I called them to find out, but nothing was set at that point." Not long after that, his perspective about the network changed. Instead of just trying to find the channel, he wanted to find out about an on-air job.
Spears reached out to Stephanie Druly on Twitter and the SEC Network vice president responded. He knew the approach was unconventional, even "a shot in the dark," but he pitched himself for a job and asked for an interview.
The network requested samples of Spears's work (he had done local shows in Dallas during his playing career) and he received a phone call two weeks after that. Then there was a trip to Bristol, Conn., another three-week wait and a trip to Austin, Texas, for more interviews and auditions at the studios of the Longhorn Network, also owned by ESPN.
Spears was pleased with the Bristol audition, conducted with Brock Huard ("A great guy, he made everything comfortable," Spears said.) and he was even more upbeat after the second audition. Spears said the consistent, intense media attention the Cowboys received during his playing career enabled him to regularly hone his on-air skills and gave him an advantage as he worked to make the transition from a playing career to a broadcasting career.
His move to the SEC Network, as a member of "SEC Nation" on Saturday mornings and with regular studio duties, became official in early April. Among a quartet that includes Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow and SEC firebrand Paul Finebaum, Spears could easily be overlooked. Host Joe Tessitore has earned the respect of college football fans with his work through the years, too.
Still, Spears brings the same team-first approach to the SEC Network that he did as a member of the Cowboys and Ravens.
"The most challenging thing is the amount of information you have, and how well you have to be prepared," Spears said. "The information it takes to be successful from an analyst's standpoint is totally different. It's not just one team you're playing against that you study, it's every team in the conference. That's OK, though. I want to be prepared. I want people to know I know the game and respect my work."
Along with his experience in the conference and week-to-week preparation, Spears plans to bring something more -- some fun. He appreciates Tebow as a "rock star" and Finebaum for his deserved and practiced skills to create discussion and reaction. Together with Tessitore, Spears think the quartet can engage and entertain SEC Network viewers.
They started building their chemistry during a three-hour dinner at a Bristol restaurant after a promotional photo shoot. Since then, there have been almost daily conversations among the starting lineup for the SEC Network's flagship show.
As a result, Spears believes the network and show are well positioned to do their jobs. "We can be a fixture in this conference and college football," he said.
And that's something that would certainly be hard to miss.
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