Nebraska officially hires Greg Sharpe replacement as new voice of the Huskers

After a long search for the next "Voice of the Huskers," Greg Sharpe's successor was officially named on Monday. Now Kyle Crooks steps into the breach with plenty of experience calling games for a Power 4 program but no ties to the state or the Cornhuskers.

Because Crooks is replacing someone well-known and well-loved by Nebraska fans, he's got big shoes to fill. He'll probably face some people who refuse to accept him at first. But he's here to stay, and it would behoove most fans to accept that and move on. He'll get a chance to prove he's ready for the job just over two months from now.

"Crooks is versatile, has knowledge of a lot of sports and has been willing to work his way up the ladder. I like that," The Omaha World-Herald's Tom Shatel wrote about the man who will call Nebraska football games this fall. "But does he know football? When Nebraska is driving in the fourth quarter at Penn State to take the lead, will Crooks handle the moment? He has not been the full-time voice of a big-time football program."

Nebraska taps Kyle Crooks as new radio play-by-play voice for Husker football

How quickly and completely Crooks will ingratiate himself to the Husker football community is anyone's guess. When talking about the potential hire earlier this spring, AD Troy Dannen made it clear that Sharpe's successor needed to find a way to do that.

"Someone has to be part of our community in order to do this," Dannen said. "When we have the Hall of Fame inductions, I envision this person introducing the Hall of farmers."

Crooks spent the last eight years as a Broadcast Coordinator and play-by-play broadcaster at the University of Florida. During that time, he worked on the radio network's football, men's basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer broadcasts. Though he spent most of the time as the voice of the Gators' basketball team.

His experience there last year means he's called a national championship win. He's got experience in big moments—moments Husker fans hope he works through here, too.

One final note on Crooks: When the rumor mill started churning last week, some were nervous about his arrival. Some were afraid he would call both football and basketball. However, Kent Pavelka will keep his role there. Fans can breathe a sigh of relief.

Crooks will do radio spots and podcasts between now and the August 28 season opener, but Nebraska football fans won't know if he's right for the job until the Huskers kick-off against the Cincinnati Bearcats. Then, Kyle Crooks will officially be the "Voice of the Huskers."