Gus Johnson is one of college football’s top announcers and one of the most well-known voices in sports, but he might want to steer clear of coming up with nicknames.
During a highly anticipated Big Ten matchup between a pair of 6-0 teams in No. 7 Penn State and No. 3 Ohio State, the Fox Sports play-by-play announcer came up with a new moniker for top Buckeyes wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.
During Ohio State’s first series of the game, Harrison reeled in a 13-yard catch for a first down, which was when Johnson broke out the nickname for the first time.
“The Maserati, ‘Maserati Marv,’ Marvin Harrison Jr. with a gain of 13,” the veteran announcer said.
But as Johnson used the name a few times during the game in Columbus, fans watching the game on TV seemed to mostly pan the nickname on social media.
“It’s absolutely awful hearing him say it over and over,” one user wrote on X. “It is ruining the experience of watching this game.”
“Tell him to stop. It is really irritating. Gus is irritating,” wrote another.
One person went as far to say that they’d never utter the nickname aloud.
“You’ll never hear me say ‘Maserati Marv,'” the X user wrote.
Johnson, given his background and history of calling college sports, had at least had one defender.
“I Love Gus. A little extra? Kinda cheesy? Yes. But like a large pizza with extra cheese he is an institutional classic,” one user wrote on X.
Whether one likes the name, it’s undeniable that Harrison is one of the top wide receivers in college football.
The junior had more than 120 yards of receiving by early in the fourth quarter Saturday to continue his strong campaign, adding a touchdown later in the frame that gave Ohio State a 20-6 lead.
“Speed, agility, power, balance,” Johnson said on the broadcast after his touchdown. “Maserati.”
If and when Harrison, the son of Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver and Indianapolis Colts legend Marvin Harrison, decides to enter the NFL Draft, it’s fair to say he’ll probably cost a team more than the price of a Maserati or two.