HBO Announces ‘Hard Knocks’ Style Show Focused on College Football

HBO is known for providing a new level of access to viewers with Hard Knocks. This series has followed NFL teams throughout training camps and the preseason since 2001 and has featured some very intriguing teams. Whether it was the Oakland Raiders, the Houston Texans, the Dallas Cowboys or the Atlanta Falcons, HBO has entertained fans with an unprecedented level of access. Now, however, the premium cable giant is going back to college.

Wednesday, HBO confirmed that it would be covering college football with a Hard Knocks style show called 24/7 College Football. Unlike the NFL version, however, this will feature a four-episode arc and will focus on four separate teams. Per the schedule released on Wednesday, the Florida Gators will kick off the season on Oct. 2, the Penn State Nittany Lions will be next, and the Arizona State Sun Devils will be third. The Washington State Cougars will round out the schedule on Oct. 23.

“For many years, we have been enamored with the storylines and unrivaled traditions of college football, and we’re excited for the opportunity to expand the 24/7 franchise into the realm of college sports,” executive producer Rick Bernstein said in a statement.

“Viewers will feel the tremendous electricity of some of the best atmospheres in the country, and see the meticulous preparation and challenges facing these programs in the build-up to gameday and during the game action. We are excited for the challenge of delivering a four-part series of four different college programs over a four-week period with the production values and storytelling associated with our 24/7 franchise.”

With the Florida Gators headlining the season, it would be expected that there would be a high-profile matchup on the docket. However, the Gainesville team will actually be heading toward a game against Towson when the cameras are in the building. Not the most exciting opponent, per se, but there will still be a fascinating storyline in Kyle Trask, the backup quarterback who has been tasked with replacing starter Feleipe Franks.

Interestingly enough, HBO is not the first company to go behind the scenes with a college program. Last Chance U, which was created by Netflix, is one of the more popular programs that has followed football programs at multiple community colleges. Additionally, Showtime documented the trials and tribulations of Notre Dame, Florida State and Navy as part of its A Season With series.

At this point, the biggest question revolves around who will be capturing and editing the footage? HBO may air Hard Knocks, but NFL Films is actually in charge of filming the players and deciding on what storylines make the final cut of each episode. Will HBO have its own camera crew on hand to create the episodes at each of these schools?

That answer has not been revealed just yet, but HBO did say that Liev Schreiber will be narrating the series. He is the voice of Hard Knocks and has narrated some of the biggest moments in the NFL. Now, he will be talking about some of college football’s biggest teams.