ESPN’s Holly Rowe returns to BYU sidelines for Notre Dame showdown, a full-circle moment from the stands to the sideline

ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe is set for a massive homecoming Saturday when she returns to LaVell Edwards Stadium for the highly anticipated clash between No. 8 BYU and No. 2 Notre Dame. For Rowe, the primetime matchup is way more than just another broadcast; it marks a beautiful full-circle moment in a career that literally began in those very stands.

Rowe’s love affair with college football started when she was just 5 years old, sitting in the stands watching BYU take on Hawaii, captivated by their rainbow helmets. Her professional path started at BYU, where she studied, anchored for KBYU-TV, and served as the BYU football sideline reporter from 1993 to 1997. It was there she caught ABC’s eye in 1995 when she volunteered to report from the sideline of the BYU-Utah game, leading to a full-time ESPN career.

Returning to the stadium named after legendary coach LaVell Edwards means a lot to Rowe. She remembers Edwards not as the intimidating coach on the sideline, but as a warm, delightful person who loved gardening and once laughed uncontrollably during an interview in his garden. She credits Edwards and former Utah coach Ron McBride with being incredibly kind and welcoming to her when she was one of the only women breaking into the male-dominated world of football reporting. “If LaVell and Ron McBride had not been so generous and kind and welcoming to me, I wouldn’t be here,” she said, her voice getting emotional.

This weekend will also be a family affair. Rowe’s sisters will join her on the sidelines, holding her monitor, marking the first time they’ve shared the sideline since 2014. It’s a reunion of the football-loving girls they once were, rushing the field together back in 1990 when BYU pulled off a massive upset over Miami.

The game also presents a unique personal milestone: Rowe has covered both head coaches, Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman and BYU’s Kalani Sitake, when they were college players she once interviewed. She still has her old notes on Freeman and silly photos from interviewing Sitake in Hawaii. Looking ahead, she’s eager to see how BYU’s big defense handles Notre Dame’s strong offensive line, and how quarterback Bear Bachmeier has grown since his tough game against Texas Tech. For Rowe, it’s the coolest full-circle moment, watching the sport she fell in love with as a child reach one of its biggest stages.