Before strolling the sidelines of the nation’s biggest stadiums as a college football analyst, Cole Cubelic walked the halls of Homewood High School. 

Cubelic’s interest in sports media piqued during his adolescence. As a kid, Cubelic played video games like RBI Baseball, Tecmo Bowl and NBA Jam; He would announce the matches as he’d face off with his friends.

“It was mostly sarcastic, we would try to have fun with it,” Cubelic said, adding that “it was something [he] was interested in.” 

Cubelic was a student-athlete at Homewood High School from 1992 to 1996. As an offensive lineman on the football team, Cubelic helped the Patriots to a state title in 1995, garnering national attention from college football programs for his immense talent. 

“Opening the mailbox and seeing letters from Tennessee, Clemson and names like Lou Holtz was special,” he recalled. “It was different.” 

Cubelic committed to Auburn University, playing football for the Tigers from 1997 to 2000 and majoring in Communications and Media Studies. During his time at Auburn, Cubelic was voted team captain, appeared in two SEC championships and was a part of the 1997 team that won the Peach Bowl over Clemson. 

As a captain, Cubelic’s frequent interactions with the media led him to develop respect for the reporting journalists.

“Being around the media at Auburn gave me a different appreciation for covering football,” he said. “It seemed like something I wanted to do.”

After graduating from Auburn in spring 2001, Cubelic had his heart set on entering the sports media world; however, the salary needed to be more attractive, and the timing just needed to be correct. Using a connection from his aunt, Cubelic landed a job in pharmaceutical sales located in Huntsville.

“When I graduated, I was just tired of being broke,” he said. “My aunt helped me with the resume, and I got a job out of the gate.”

One day while living in Huntsville, Cubelic pulled into a radio station run by Steve Shelton in search of an opportunity in the sports media industry. It took some convincing by Cubelic to land the idea, but his first radio show was created. Cubelic and former Auburn teammate Ben Leard started “The 617 Show,” a pre-pregame show before Auburn football games.

Eventually, the pair moved back to Auburn, giving Cubelic his first opportunity to showcase his broadcasting talents. 

“Some of the guys at the Auburn network heard our show and offered us to do it for an hour,” Cubelic said. “That eventually became an opportunity to call the Auburn spring game.”

Following the spring game, Cubelic called replays for Auburn on College Sports Southeast, which eventually became a full-time Sun Belt package with the likes of Joe Davis, Joe Block and Tom Dore.

When the SEC Network was formed in 2014, Cubelic joined within a year as an analyst and frequent guest on the Paul Finebaum show. In the fall of 2017, Cubelic finally landed his big-time SEC network package with Jordan Rodgers and Tom Hart for Saturday night college football.

From the Rose Bowl to Neyland Stadium, dancing on the sideline at LSU with Shaquille O’Neal and even filming at SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt, Cubelic’s lengthy journey has led him to some of the sports world’s most prominent stages. However, he will always be a Patriot.

As a current Homewood resident, Cubelic lives with his wife Kathrine and his three children, Judge, Kit and Locke. He can be found on the sidelines of various SEC stadiums every Saturday night in the fall. He also hosts his morning radio show with former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy “McElroy & Cubelic In The Morning,” which is stationed on WJOX-94.5. 

“I knew I needed to be back in Homewood to raise a family. From the parks or the schools to the social scene,” he said. “It was a no-brainer to move back here.”