You might say Jack Carlson ’26 was destined to become the voice of the Rams. Before he even enrolled at Cornell College he contacted the Athletics Department about sports broadcasting.
“I started getting emails from Jack during the fall of his senior year in high school,” said Assistant Director of Athletics for Communications Kerry Kahl. “He reached out and expressed an interest in sports information. Honestly, it’s probably the first time I’ve had a student reach out to me that far in advance.”
Carlson met with Kahl on day one of New Student Orientation and made a plan to work for athletics and eventually start a podcast. He also eagerly signed up for the Block 2 Sports Journalism class with Associate Professor of Kinesiology Justus Hallam, a class in which he was thrilled to get a podcasting assignment.
“I think this class helped him get his foot in the door with the Academic Technology Studio and make connections to jumpstart this podcast,” Hallam said. “It’s neat to see students expand upon class projects. I’ve had a few here and there, but he’s really taking it to another level.”
Carlson now works more hours than any other work-study student in athletics. He does play-by-play for the Rams on the live stream for as many home games as possible. In his second year alone, he broadcast 70 games.
“It has been a phenomenal experience,” Carlson said. “I’ve ended up broadcasting so many different sports that, before I came to Cornell, I never thought I would be doing. I have really grown with this opportunity.”
Plus, he spends his free time developing and coordinating the Hilltop Sports Report podcast. He released the first one after winter break of his first year and says he enjoys sharing all the untold stories of the Rams.
“No two individuals are ever the same,” Carlson said. “There’s always something new to be uncovered.”
The Hilltop Sports Report is Cornell’s first athletics podcast, and Carlson is the mastermind behind the whole thing.
Jumpin’ Jack Carlson 
Many athletes and coaches know Carlson as Jumpin’ Jack Carlson.
It’s a name he’s had since he was 12.
It came from West Virginia play-by-play Announcer Tony Caridi, who invited him to be on his show after Carlson’s mother emailed Caridi to ask if her 12-year-old son could attend a sports broadcasting seminar for college students. While he didn’t go to the seminar, he did go to the studio.
“Tony interviewed me about how I was broadcasting my games in my backyard, and that’s when my nickname was born,” Carlson said. “He could tell I was a little bit nervous, and he said, ‘Joining us on the program is Jumpin’ Jack Carlson!’ and that stuck with me.”
After he introduces himself as Jumpin’ Jack Carlson on The Hilltop Sports Report, listeners will hear a jingle. Fun fact—he created that too. It features his parents and sister saying, “Let’s go Rams.” He plans his interview questions and interviews coaches or student-athletes for about 15 to 30 minutes in a conference room at the SAW. Once everything is recorded, he combines and edits the final version.
“He’s so motivated,” Kahl said. “Athletics is very fast-paced, and I feel like I run a fast-paced day-to-day operation with what I do. But Jack is even ahead of me. He’s outsprinting me, and he never slows down. He’s looking at the big picture—his career—and is really taking it on himself.”
Jumpin’ Jack did nine podcast episodes in his first year and 17 episodes his sophomore year. Carlson is on track to complete 18 this year. Plus, with a donation to Ram Athletics from his grandparents, Carlson helped purchase new podcasting equipment for the college to further professionalize his podcasts and support future podcasters.
“Coming into my junior year, I wanted to step up my game,” Carlson said. “Nationally, video is all the rage with podcasts. I knew I wanted to get involved in that. Not only do we have audio on the website now, but we have video of me interviewing—and terrific photos edited over the video on the Cornell Athletics YouTube page.”
Carlson’s future
Carlson is on track to get a B.S.S. with an individualized major in sports journalism.
“For Jack, I think the B.S.S. is perfect,” Hallam said. “Because at Cornell you have dedicated faculty who want to help students pursue their interests. We can do that because we have such small numbers and personal relationships, so we can help students tailor coursework to their career of choice.”
Carlson’s dream job is to become a professional sports broadcaster. Kahl says with the amount of research Carlson does before each game and his ability to tackle whatever he sets his mind on, he’ll go far.
But for now–Jumpin’ Jack Carlson is enjoying every experience and cheering on the Rams with each broadcast.
“I can’t imagine being anywhere else,” Carlson said. “I think what we have on the Hilltop is very special.”