GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Ryan Urquhart was in Edinburgh, Scotland, this summer when he got the call. He was on vacation with his family, taking a break from his career of making calls.

No, Urquhart is not a telemarketer or sales rep. He is a play-by-play announcer who Gators fans are familiar with from his time in campus press boxes or on press row at the O’Dome.

“I was at dinner with my family,” Urquhart said. “I walked out front [of the restaurant]. I was standing on the Royal Mile.”

Phil Brame, Network Manager for the Gators Sports Network from Learfield, was the caller. He might as well have been Santa Claus on Christmas morning.

“It was a great joy to be able to offer Ryan the job,” Brame said. “He busted his tail. Ryan did a super job there whenever there was a need for him to help us.”

Brame, based in Winston-Salem, N.C., told the 28-year-old Urquhart, a UF graduate who has climbed a competitive career ladder for the past decade, that he was the choice to replace Kyle Crooks, who had recently been hired as the play-by-play voice of Nebraska football.

Urquhart makes his official debut in his new job on Thursday night when the UF soccer team hosts Towson at Dizney Stadium in the home opener. Urquhart will serve as the play-by-play announcer on the SEC Network+ broadcast with analyst Matthew Stubbington. Urquhart is the new lead UF broadcaster for SEC Network+ and the Gators Radio Network for soccer, women’s basketball and softball.

 

The soccer team’s home opener is a full-circle moment in many ways for Urquhart, who has spent the past six years living in Tampa as a freelance announcer broadcasting USF, American Athletic Conference and Identity Varsity Network events. Meanwhile, he racked up miles on his car driving back and forth to Gainesville, working as Crooks’ partner at Gators softball games and filling in when needed on women’s basketball and various assignments.

 

Returning to Dizney Stadium on Thursday will stir some memories.

As a UF freshman in 2016, eager for any opportunity that came along, Urquhart filled in at an NCAA Tournament game between the Gators and Wisconsin, which featured future two-time Olympian Rose Lavelle. Florida won, 3-2, in overtime on a goal by Brooke Sharp.

 

The experience squashed any thoughts of Urquhart chasing another line of work.

“I remember that adrenaline rush,” Urquhart said. “I was like, ‘This is what I want to do.’ I knew from a pretty young age.”

 

Urquhart would pretend to call the action as he watched games on TV or when he played video games. He began to pursue a broadcasting career full-time as a senior at Timber Creek High in Orlando, where he was a promising football player who received a preferred walk-on offer from Auburn and interest from smaller programs. However, a neck injury before his senior year forced him to make a detour.

 

After he enrolled at UF, Urquhart chased any opportunity that came along until he graduated in the spring of 2020. By that time, he had built enough contacts and experience to work professionally. He has been a regular at UF sporting events in the years since, with the help of Crooks.

 

“He encouraged me,” Urquhart said. “Kyle was great, keeping me around to do stuff on soccer, women’s basketball and softball. It’s a dream destination. Not many people get to say they are broadcasting at an SEC school. But also, to do it at your alma mater is really, really special. This was such a no-brainer. I wanted to grow and take this next step and take on this lead role, and I got to learn from Kyle, who is obviously incredibly talented, and I had a close mentor.

 

“But, you know, there’s the concept of something, and then there’s the reality of it happening. And it’s one of those special times in life where, you know, reality is just as good as the dream. I’m honored.”

In addition to his work in the press box, Urquhart will be a network coordinator and announcer scheduler for UF’s busy athletic season. Along the way, he’ll work with students and aspiring play-by-play announcers who will remind him of himself from a decade ago.

They have a good example to follow.

 

He will continue on his current path and see where it takes him over the next decade.

 

“As long as I’m calling games and I’m getting to work in college sports, that’s where my heart is,” Urquhart said. “I just like calling games.”

And Brame enjoys making the kind of call he made to offer Urquhart the job.

“This is a sizable step and opportunity in his career that he has absolutely earned,” Brame said. “You could tell he was excited.”