Nicole Auerbach is an American sports journalist, broadcaster, and host known for covering college football and basketball. She joined NBC Sports in 2023 as its lead college football insider and later expanded her coverage to include college basketball and other college sports. Her reporting appears across NBC Sports’ television and digital platforms.
Auerbach’s career has included roles at The Boston Globe, USA Today, The Athletic, Big Ten Network, and SiriusXM. She is also recognized for becoming the youngest recipient of the National Sports Media Association’s National Sportswriter of the Year award. Her work covers more than game results: she reports on the people, decisions, and changes shaping college athletics.
Nicole Auerbach: Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Nicole Auerbach |
| Profession | Sports journalist, broadcaster, and host |
| Known for | Reporting on college football and basketball |
| Current employer | NBC Sports |
| NBC Sports role | Lead college football and basketball insider; Olympic sports reporter |
| Education | University of Michigan |
| Previous outlets | The Boston Globe, USA Today, The Athletic, and Big Ten Network |
| Recognized award | National Sports Media Association National Sportswriter of the Year |
Who Is Nicole Auerbach?
Nicole Auerbach is a journalist whose reporting focuses on college sports. She has covered college football and basketball for national audiences, combining news coverage with analysis and longer-form stories. Her work has included reporting on teams and coaches, the business of college athletics, and changes affecting athletes and universities.
In her own account of her career, Auerbach describes growing up in New Jersey with a long-standing interest in sports. She played softball, tennis, and basketball and enjoyed reading about athletes and teams. A friend encouraged her to try sports journalism during her first week at college, helping her connect that interest with a possible career.
Education and the Start of Her Journalism Career
Auerbach graduated from the University of Michigan in 2011. She has said that her early college experience helped introduce her to sports journalism. Her professional career began with reporting and writing roles that gave her experience across different sports and newsrooms.
One of her early positions was at The Boston Globe, where she worked from 2011 to 2013, according to her professional biography. She then joined USA Today, where she covered college sports and took on national reporting assignments. At USA Today, her work included coverage of college basketball and swimming at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics.
Career Timeline
| Period | Role or outlet | Career details |
|---|---|---|
| 2011–2013 | The Boston Globe | Worked as a sports journalist after graduating from the University of Michigan. |
| 2011–2017 | USA Today Sports | Covered college sports, including college basketball, and reported on swimming at two Summer Olympics. |
| 2014–2024 | Big Ten Network | Worked as a studio analyst, appearing in coverage focused on Big Ten sports. |
| 2017–2024 | The Athletic | Spent seven years covering college football and college sports as a senior writer. |
| 2023–present | NBC Sports | Joined as lead college football insider; later expanded her work to basketball and other college sports. |
| Current | SiriusXM | Continues to host programming focused on college sports. |
Dates and role descriptions are based on Auerbach’s professional biography and NBC Sports’ profile.
Reporting at USA Today
At USA Today, Auerbach developed a national profile covering college sports. Her assignments included college basketball and swimming, and she reported from the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Covering different competitions helped broaden her experience beyond a single team or league.
Her time at the outlet also placed her in a newsroom covering major events and national sports stories. That background became useful in later roles, where she wrote about college athletics from both a competition and an institutional perspective.
Work at The Athletic
Auerbach joined The Athletic in 2017 and spent seven years there as a senior writer covering college football. Her reporting included national stories and analysis of developments across the sport. The outlet’s profile of her career identifies college football and the business of college sports among her areas of coverage.
Her work at The Athletic also reflected a reporting style that moved between breaking developments and deeper context. College sports involve universities, conferences, coaches, athletes, and governing bodies; explaining how those groups interact can help readers understand why a decision or change matters beyond one game.
NBC Sports and Her Current Role
Auerbach joined NBC Sports in 2023 as the network’s lead college football insider. NBC says she appears on its college football programming and contributes columns and reporting to its digital platforms. She also co-hosts the college football podcast Rushing the Field with Joshua Perry.
Her responsibilities broadened in 2024 to include college basketball and other college sports. NBC Sports identifies her as a lead college basketball insider for its coverage of the Big Ten, BIG EAST, and Big 12. In 2026, she also made her NBC Olympics reporting debut at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, covering ski jumping and cross-country skiing.
In addition to her NBC work, Auerbach continues to host on SiriusXM. Her broadcast roles complement her writing by giving her opportunities to discuss current stories and interview people involved in college sports.
Awards and Recognition
Auerbach received the National Sports Media Association’s National Sportswriter of the Year award for 2020. The recognition made her the youngest person to receive the award, according to NBC Sports and her professional biography. She has also received recognition from the Associated Press Sports Editors and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.
| Award or recognition | Organization | What it recognizes |
|---|---|---|
| National Sportswriter of the Year | National Sports Media Association | National-level sportswriting; Auerbach received the award for 2020. |
| Rising Star Award | U.S. Basketball Writers Association | Recognition of an emerging contributor to basketball journalism. |
| Top-10 honors | Associated Press Sports Editors | Recognition for sports columns and national beat reporting. |
| Insider of the Year | The Big Lead | Recognition for her reporting and analysis as a sports insider. |
What Makes Her Reporting Notable?
Auerbach’s coverage spans several parts of college sports: competition, the people involved, and the institutions that shape the experience. That range is especially relevant as college athletics changes. Issues such as conference realignment, athlete compensation, and the structure of postseason competition can affect schools and athletes well beyond the final score.
Her experience across writing, television, and radio also means she presents sports news in different formats. A reported article can provide detail and context, while studio analysis and radio discussions let her respond to developments as they unfold. Her career has been built across those forms of sports journalism.
Personal Life
Auerbach generally keeps her personal life out of the spotlight. In her professional biography, she has shared her New Jersey background and her early interest in sports. Public profiles focus primarily on her reporting, broadcasting, and education; details not confirmed by reliable sources should not be treated as fact.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Nicole Auerbach?
Nicole Auerbach is an American sports journalist, broadcaster, and host who covers college football, college basketball, and other college sports.
Where does Nicole Auerbach work?
She works for NBC Sports, where she is a lead college football and basketball insider and contributes to television and digital coverage.
What is Nicole Auerbach known for?
She is known for national reporting and analysis on college sports, including college football, college basketball, and developments affecting college athletics.
Where did Nicole Auerbach go to college?
Auerbach graduated from the University of Michigan in 2011.
Has Nicole Auerbach won any journalism awards?
Yes. She received the National Sports Media Association’s National Sportswriter of the Year award for 2020 and has earned other recognition from sports journalism organizations.
Did Nicole Auerbach work at The Athletic?
Yes. She spent seven years at The Athletic as a senior writer covering college football before moving to NBC Sports.
Final Word
Nicole Auerbach has built a career covering college sports across newspapers, digital journalism, television, and radio. Her work at USA Today and The Athletic helped establish her as a national reporter, while NBC Sports has expanded her role into college football, basketball, and Olympic coverage. Her career illustrates how sports journalism can combine reporting, analysis, and broadcasting to explain a changing sports landscape.