ESPN’s on-air lineup continues to take shape as the sports world closes in on football season.
ESPN’s “Monday Night Countdown” for the 2023 NFL season will be hosted by veteran anchor Scott Van Pelt. He will be joined by former NFL players Ryan Clark, Robert Griffin III, and Marcus Spears. NFL Insider Adam Schefter and reporter Michelle Beisner-Buck will be a part of the broadcast as well, the company announced on Monday, August 21.
Former NFL Pro Bowlers Alex Smith and Larry Fitzgerald Jr. will also be making “multiple appearances” on the show, according to ESPN.
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ESPN, which is owned by parent company The Walt Disney Co. (DIS) -), also announced that it signed Van Pelt to a multi-year deal. He will continue hosting the late night show “SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt” and the Monday night iteration will be shot from the “Monday Night Countdown” site.
News of SVP’s position as the new host of the pregame show came out previously from a report by The Athletic in late July. He replaces longtime host Suzy Kolber, who was part of the network’s layoffs of on-air talent in June.
Clark and Spears are the other newcomers of the group, and both will continue their roles on ESPN’s daily NFL show “NFL Live." NFL legend Steve Young was also part of the June layoffs which left one of the analyst openings on the show.
Laura Rutledge, the host of "NFL Live," was also considered for the host role SVP ultimately received, according to the New York Post.
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The new lineup will make its debut at 7 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, August 21 ahead of the preseason game between the Baltimore Ravens and Washington Commanders. Its regular season debut will come on September 11, when Aaron Rodgers makes his New York Jets debut against the Buffalo Bills.
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