Robert Griffin III Takes Heat on Baylor Return as First Day on New Job Brings Surprising Criticism

Robert Griffin III’s big homecoming was supposed to be a celebration. A Heisman winner turned broadcaster, back in McLane Stadium, headset on, calling the very team that made him a household name? That sells itself. Except, well, college football doesn’t always do fairy tales. Sometimes it just hands you a live mic and a crowd that isn’t buying what you’re selling.

This season was already shaping up as a pivotal one for both Baylor and Auburn. Dave Aranda had finally steadied Baylor’s ship after back-to-back losing years, grinding out an 8–5 season that looked like a turning point. On the other sideline, Hugh Freeze’s Tigers were staring down the prospect of a fifth-straight losing campaign and desperately needed to break the funk. In other words, Week 1 wasn’t just “let’s warm up the pads.” It was personal.

Into that fire walked RG3, suited up not in cleats but with a Fox Sports mic, alongside Jason Benetti and Alexa Landestoy. Fox had just locked him in days earlier, after ESPN had shown him the door last year. Griffin made it sound like destiny. “This opportunity with FOX Sports represents the perfect intersection of my two greatest passions—football and storytelling.” And if you’ve followed his career, you know he’s never been shy about telling a story. The only problem? College football fans weren’t exactly thrilled about the way he told it.

Watching the Auburn vs Baylor game RG3 is the commentator and he irks the hell out of me just a cornball fr

— Switch Lane Sports (@Innoutport7007) August 30, 2025

On paper, this was the perfect gig. RG3 wasn’t just some former NFL QB parachuting into college football. He was Baylor’s guy. From Freshman of the Year in 2008 to that legendary 2011 Heisman run, Griffin lit Waco on fire. Over four years, he threw for 10,366 yards, 78 touchdowns, ran for another 2,254 yards and 33 scores, and basically turned Baylor from a Big 12 afterthought into a must-watch program. He was the golden child of McLane before McLane even existed. His jersey isn’t just in the rafters—it’s practically tattooed on Baylor history. So naturally, Baylor’s season opener felt like a storybook “circle of life” moment. Except instead of nostalgia, fans got… a lot of one-liners. And not the good kind.

Meanwhile, the game itself wasn’t half bad. Auburn came out swinging, literally running straight through Baylor’s front. Jackson Arnold ripped off a 24-yard touchdown to cap a 96-yard drive, setting the tone that the Tigers weren’t just here for the free Dr Pepper. Baylor scraped together a 36-yard field goal to stop the bleeding, but Auburn doubled down with Damari Alston bruising his way into the end zone and Alex McPherson adding a short field goal.

Before the Bears could blink, it was 17–3. Just before halftime, Sawyer Robertson finally gave the home fans something to cheer about, finding Kobe Prentice for a 33-yard strike that cut it to 17–10. Auburn jogged into the locker room looking steady, Baylor looking scrappy, and RG3—well, looking like the one everyone was already talking about.

Because here’s the kicker: while Auburn was pounding the rock and Baylor was hanging around, Twitter (sorry, “X”) was melting down—not about the game, but about Griffin’s commentary. His call was a strange mix of corny punchlines, awkward timing, and surface-level analysis that made it feel like he was trying to be the show rather than explain the show. Which, if you’ve followed his broadcasting arc, isn’t entirely new. At ESPN, he started as a fresh, high-energy voice. Over time, though, the schtick got louder, the pop culture references got weirder, and the “analysis” often got lost in the noise. By the time he got fired, insiders were already warning him to tone it down. Tonight in Waco, the fans clearly thought he didn’t.

College football fans Cook Robert Griffin alive for his debut awful commentary

The halftime score was Auburn 17, Baylor 10—but you wouldn’t know it scrolling through X. Fans were too busy swinging haymakers at RG3’s booth performance like it was their own rivalry game. One frustrated viewer wrote, “Watching the Auburn vs Baylor game RG3 is the commentator and he irks the hell out of me just a cornball fr.”

That word—cornball—popped up a lot. It’s a label Griffin has tried to dodge since his NFL days, when he leaned a little too hard into branding himself as more than just a quarterback. And to be fair, he’s not the first ex-athlete to go heavy on charisma and light on substance. Tony Romo was hailed early for predicting plays, then roasted later for overdoing it. The difference is, Romo still sprinkles in some actual X’s and O’s. Griffin? On Saturday, fans were hearing more punchlines than protections.

Another fan went straight for the eject button: “Already tired of hearing RG3 call this game. This guy has got to go!” That might sound dramatic for a first half of his first Fox broadcast, but in college football land, patience isn’t exactly a core value. Ask any coach who’s gone 4–8.

Even harsher? The job security jokes. “How does RG3 continue to get jobs as a commentator?” one fan asked. It’s not a terrible question. After ESPN, many figured his future was in online content, where his loud style plays better in short clips. Fox, though, clearly saw star power in pairing him with Benetti, who’s one of the smoothest play-by-play guys in the business. The clash in styles was obvious tonight. Benetti kept things steady; RG3… didn’t.

And then came the comparisons, the cruelest of fan weapons. One user dropped, “RG3 is the Doris Burke of college football commentating… he’s so bad and corny.” That one stings—not just because it’s unflattering, but because Griffin himself has long wanted to be seen as a voice with gravitas, not a sideshow. Instead, fans are lumping him in with the “background noise” analysts they barely tolerate.

The final jab? A not-so-subtle career suggestion: “RG3 needs to stick to online commentary.” Translation: keep the YouTube energy on YouTube. Don’t bring it to primetime football.

Still, here’s the reality: it was his first game on a brand-new network, and yes, it happened to be against the very school where his legend was made. That’s pressure you can’t replicate in rehearsal. Maybe the nerves showed, maybe he tried too hard, maybe he’ll find his lane with more reps. But if nothing else, RG3 learned this much: in college football, fans aren’t shy. They’ll love you, roast you, meme you, and quote-tweet you into oblivion. Sometimes all in the same drive.

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