“How about that? That’s gonna make the top-10 highlights tonight,” said John Cook. He was reacting to Andi Jackson’s lightning-fast kill as the Nebraska Huskers took on Kansas during their spring game. This time, though, the legendary coach didn’t say this as he watched the Huskers sweep Kansas from the coach’s chair. That chair was occupied by his successor, Dani Busboom Kelly. Instead, Cook said it from the analyst’s booth.

The 69-year-old former head coach of Nebraska had a completely new volleyball experience at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. “Cook Cam,” wrote BIG Volleyball while sharing footage of Cook from the booth. “Step inside Bob Devaney as John Cook called his first volleyball match for @huskervb’s spring game last Saturday,” they posted on May 2. However, it wasn’t till now that the volleyball coach revealed his NFL inspiration behind the gig.

Lauren and John Cook discussed his first experience as an analyst for the Big Ten Network, when Cook revealed that a former Dallas Cowboys star turned color commentator inspired him. “I’ve always watched color analysts basically do things, like Tony Romo. I love what he does,” the 4x National Championship winner told his daughter. Safe to say, Cook chose quite the role model.

That’s because the 4x Pro Bowl winner translated on-field skills to the analyst’s booth with incredible finesse. Throughout his years as a commentator, the 45-year-old has become well-known for his ability to predict what the players will do on the field. Case in point: Back in 2019 during an A.F.C. Championship between the New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs. Of the 15 calls that he took during the game—including predicting specific passes to specific players—13 were correct. No wonder The New Yorker called him a “commentary genius”.

It’s no secret that John Cook is a huge football fan. So much so that one of the first things the 5x Big Ten title winner said he would do after retirement was to come down to Nebraska and just enjoy watching football. So it’s no real surprise that Tony Romo’s success inspired Cook to explore a new horizon in a very familiar sport. But that doesn’t mean the 69-year-old will be a regular on the Big Ten Network for the upcoming volleyball season.

John Cook isn’t ready to jump in just yet

During their chat about Cook’s debut as a volleyball analyst on Kicking Back with the Cooks, the former head coach revealed how he landed the gig. Cook explained that the Big Ten Network’s Sue Marriott approached him with the offer. “She used to work for Nebraska Public Television, and then, I don’t know, 10-12 years ago, she went to Big Ten,” said the volleyball coach.

“So when I retired, she wrote me a really nice note. She said, ‘Would you ever be interested in doing TV?'” said John Cook. “And I said it’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” added the volleyball legend. So that’s how Cook landed the opportunity to do something that he had always wanted but never found the time. That being said, he isn’t ready to do this full-time moving forward.

The 69-year-old revealed that while he is interested in returning to the booth, things still need to fall into place. “I’m thinking about it. I really, really enjoy it. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. We just have to work through what their plan is,” the former NCAA coach told the Lincoln Journal Star. “I think once the schedule comes out then I can sit down and seriously look at it. If it can work out where I’m not on the road all of the time that’s what I would be looking for.”

One of the main reasons Cook left his coaching job was that he wanted to be around his kids and grandkids more, and it’s unlikely that he’s going to take up another gig if it means compromising with family time. So, while Cook wants to return to the analyst’s booth, it will happen on his terms.