About

NFL and College Football Rules Analyst. An integral part of the network’s NFL and college football coverage, Dean Blandino offers viewers insight into plays, calls and circumstances that warrant rules interpretation or explanation. Together with Mike Pereira, he hosts the LAST CALL WITH MIKE PERIERA AND DEAN BLANDINO podcast – providing noteworthy anecdotes on the league’s toughest decisions. He also serves as the National Coordinator of Instant Replay for the NCAA. Blandino was first introduced to the world of officiating two-and-a-half decades ago when he was hired as an NFL intern. That sparked an illustrious career as he quickly rose to become an Instant Replay Official (1999-03) and was selected to work two Super Bowls and two conference championships. During his time in charge of officiating (2013-’16), Blandino oversaw the NFL’s noteworthy fulltime hire of line judge Sarah Thomas, the league’s first female official. Blandino ended his remarkable tenure as Vice President of Officiating and is held in high regard for crucial input on system upgrades and an early adoption of technological transformations. In 2009, Blandino formed his own company called “Under the Hood” which offered training and evaluation for instant replay officials. His clients included the NFL in addition to the Big Ten, Mid-American, Pac-12, Big 12 and Mountain West college football conferences. An advocate of sports equality, Blandino is an Executive Producer of “Her Turf,” a documentary following three female football referees as they bravely attempt to level the playing field. Born and raised in Bellmore, New York, Blandino graduated from Hofstra University in 1993.