Florida State has found its new voice for football games inside Doak Campbell Stadium. The university announced Monday that former Seminoles offensive lineman and longtime FSU baseball broadcaster Eric Luallen will become the stadium’s public address announcer beginning with the 2026 season. It’s a change that touches one of the program’s most recognizable game-day traditions, and it comes with a storyline that ties Luallen’s entire Florida State journey full circle.
Who Is Eric Luallen?
Luallen already has deep connections to Florida State, both as a former Seminoles football player and as the current radio play-by-play voice for FSU baseball. He first arrived in Tallahassee to play for legendary head coach Bobby Bowden, joining a Florida State program that was in the process of building one of the most dominant runs in college football history — the Seminoles finished No. 2 in the final AP poll and No. 3 in both 1988 and 1989, the start of an NCAA-record 14 consecutive top-five finishes that stretched from 1987 through 2000.
After his playing career wrapped up in 1989, Luallen built a broadcasting career across Tallahassee television and radio, eventually taking over as the play-by-play voice of FSU baseball in 2007. Since then, he’s called 984 games behind the mic, including six College World Series appearances, four ACC Tournament championships and three regular-season conference titles. He’s also contributed to FSU football pregame radio coverage over the years and anchored the debut season of GameDay Live on the Seminoles Unconquered app from inside Doak Campbell Stadium in 2025.
A Full-Circle Moment, Almost 40 Years in the Making
What makes this announcement especially meaningful is the timing. Luallen will step into the public address role almost 40 years to the day after he first reported for practice under Bobby Bowden. In his own words, he described feeling incredibly humbled by the opportunity, especially given the timing lining up so closely with his original arrival at Florida State, and he expressed genuine gratitude for the chance to now serve his alma mater through both his two decades as the voice of FSU baseball and this new role with football.
Why Florida State Needed a New Announcer
Luallen’s hiring comes after longtime Doak Campbell Stadium announcer Woody Hayes was let go in July, ending a 16-season run behind the football microphone. Hayes had become closely associated with one of the stadium’s signature traditions, delivering the familiar call before the crowd erupts with “FIRST DOWN!” on every Florida State conversion. For many longtime fans, that voice had become as recognizable a part of Doak Campbell Saturdays as tailgating or Chief Osceola’s ride onto the field. Hayes remains FSU’s public address announcer for men’s and women’s basketball for now, but Florida State has not publicly detailed its reasoning for moving in a different direction at football games specifically.
What Fans Can Expect in 2026
Luallen is set to make his Doak Campbell Stadium football debut when Florida State opens its 2026 season at home against New Mexico State on Aug. 29. While one of the program’s most recognizable game-day traditions will sound different this fall, Florida State has opted for continuity of a different kind — bringing in a familiar face with deep ties to the university rather than an outside hire, even as the specific voice fans hear on Saturdays changes for the first time in nearly two decades.
Final Thoughts
Eric Luallen’s move to the Doak Campbell Stadium public address booth closes a full-circle loop on a Florida State journey that began nearly 40 years ago under Bobby Bowden. Between his playing background, his two decades as the voice of FSU baseball, and now this new football role, Luallen brings a rare depth of program history to a job that shapes the in-stadium experience for tens of thousands of fans every home Saturday. Seminole Nation will get its first taste of the new voice when Florida State kicks off the 2026 season against New Mexico State on Aug. 29.
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