Rod Babers is a sports analyst, former NFL and Lifetime Longhorn, and has been heard locally and nationally since 2008. His unique take on local and national sports talk, combined with his self-proclaimed title as a “pop culture critic”, brings a distinct sound and energy to every broadcast.

Prior to joining The HORN and the Austin Radio Network family, Rod Babers entertained audiences in Austin and San Antonio as a radio host and TV personality for over 9 years. Most recently he was an analyst for LHN (Longhorn Network) pre and post-game broadcasts during the 2016 football season. He also served as sideline correspondent for the IMG Radio Network during Texas Football broadcasts from 2011-2013. Rod has also worked as a color analyst and sideline correspondent for  Austin area high school football games.

Since 2009, Babers has been a writer and podcaster with Horns247, most notably the podcast “Longhorn Blitz” which is syndicated in several cities in Texas.

Before embarking on a career in sports broadcasting, Babers played in the NFL for 5 years after being drafted by the New York Giants in 2003. During his NFL career, Babers played for the Detroit Lions, Tampa Bay Bucs, Chicago Bears and the Denver Broncos. After leaving the NFL, Rod headed North to play Canadian Football for the Hamilton TigerCats. His time with the TigerCats was brief but allowed him to return to The University of Texas to acquire his bachelor’s degree in Education.

Babers is a proud Lifetime Longhorn and member of “DBU” after playing cornerback at the University of Texas from 1999-2002. He was heavily recruited by several college football powerhouses at the time including Texas, Florida State, Colorado, Texas A&M along with Penn State & numerous others.

His commitment helped UT garner the nation’s top recruiting class in 1999. He would finish his UT career as a 3-year starter and a team captain (starting 38 consecutive games, 40 overall) capturing Third Team All-America honors with The Sporting News and Third Team All-America Honors with the Associated Press; he was also awarded First Team All-Big 12 honors.

His passion for football began when he emerged as a standout athlete at Mirabeau B Lamar High School in Houston, Texas.  As a junior, he excelled in football and his senior campaign earned him Sporting News All American honorable mention honors, USA Today All American honorable mention honors and 1st Team All-State honors.