One of the most recognizable figures in sports media is now fronting the Monday Night Football pregame show.
As part of a new, multi-year to remain with ESPN, Scott Van Pelt has been appointed host of Monday Night Countdown. He’ll be joined on the ESPN pregame show by faces familiar to ESPN’s football-viewing audience, analysts Ryan Clark and Marcus Spears; also new additions to the program.
Analyst Robert Griffin III, senior NFL insider Adam Schefter, and features reporter Michelle Beisner-Buck are returning to the broadcast, and analysts Larry Fitzgerald Jr. and Alex Smith will appear multiple times through the 2023-2024 NFL regular season.
The new on-air team will make its regular season debut in Week one, leading into Aaron Rodgers’ New York Jets debut, as his new squad hosts AFC East rival Buffalo Bills.
But first, Van Pelt, Clark, Griffin, Spears and Schefter will appear on-air together tonight, Monday, August 21, ahead the Ravens-Commanders preseason broadcast on ESPN.
In July, The New York Post’s Andrew Marchand reported that Van Pelt was being considered to replace Suzy Kolber as the host of ESPN Monday Night Countdown, something The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch later confirmed.
Kolber, a longtime ESPN reporter and host, was let go in early July as part of the network’s cuts that affected many on-air talent.
Van Pelt has hosted the midnight edition of SportsCenter since 2015, with his show consistently drawing large audiences after ESPN/ABC Monday Night Football, ESPN’s NFL Wild Card playoff telecast and the College Football Playoff. He has also been the face of ESPN’s golf coverage for many years.