Miami native Tom Llamas has been a Canes fan forever: ‘I’m ready’
Spoiler alert: We know who Tom Llamas will be rooting for at Monday night’s Hurricanes vs. Hoosiers showdown at Hard Rock Stadium.
Sure, the “NBC Nightly News” anchor is on the national stage now, but back in the day, he was attending Canes games at the Orange Bowl as soon as he was old enough to walk and talk.
Now based in the New York area, Llamas returned home to battle the sweltering heat back in August to witness the University of Miami team in action. The 305 native brought both his father, Luis, and 8-year-old son, Tomas, to watch a practice and meet with Coach Mario Cristobal and quarterback Carson Beck.
The star-studded visit pretty much solidified it for Tomas, who is now obsessed with the Hurricanes, and will be staying up late to attend the momentous game on the team’s home turf.
“Miami’s the center of the universe again,” Llamas said after landing at the Miami airport Friday afternoon. “It’s been a wild ride.”
Immediate plan: Llamas was headed up to Miramar to the NBC 6 newsroom to interview co-anchors Jawan Strader, who went to IU, and Jackie Nespral, who graduated from UM.
“They do a newscast together, but this weekend they are total rivals,” explained the media star who took over for Lester Holt last June. “It’s pretty funny.”
Later, Llamas takes the “NBC Nightly News” reins live from Telemundo’s studios in Doral. The Coral Gables native, 46, actually started with that very same Spanish language network as a green 15-year-old intern while still at Belen Jesuit Prep.
Llamas has been watching the Canes in action way longer than he’s been at this journalism thing.
“I remember being a little kid and all the highs and lows of those seasons,” Llamas recalled. He cites one particular game when Brigham Young University defeated the then No. 1 ranked Canes 28-21 in 1990. “I was just so beat up over that.”
Llamas stayed true, even though the national championships have eluded his favorite team for 25 years.
“They were consistently dominating for so long and so many players went on to major NFL teams and the Hall of Fame,” he said. “It’s been a rough ride for a while, which is why we are so excited. I’m ready.”
“NBC Nightly News” airs at 6:30 weeknights.
This story was originally published January 16, 2026 at 5:53 PM.
