NBC adds Caroline Pineda as sideline reporter for Notre Dame football

SOUTH BEND — Caroline Pineda will join NBC as a sideline reporter for four Notre Dame football games this fall, including the Sept. 6 opener against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field. Pineda replaces Zora Stephenson, who held the same role for three seasons. Pineda, a 2022 graduate of Notre Dame, has experience in Big Ten football and basketball sideline reporting.

She expressed gratitude for the opportunity, stating that watching Notre Dame on NBC inspired her to become a reporter. Pineda credits Mike Tirico as her mentor and values the guidance of ESPN's Scott Van Pelt, whose words about representing one's team resonate with her. Growing up in Albuquerque, NM, Pineda recalls fondly watching NBC's coverage of Notre Dame football with her mother, a Notre Dame graduate.

Her professional development includes a summer internship with the Washington Post and multiple seasons as a sideline assistant to Melissa Stark on NBC's Sunday Night NFL package. Pineda sees this role as a full-circle moment, building upon her early memories of Notre Dame on NBC, narrated by Alex Flanagan, who was NBC's sideline reporter from 2007-13.

NBC's Big Ten Saturday Night crew will handle the prime-time kickoffs against Michigan State, Miami, and SMU.