Popular ESPN broadcaster Molly McGrath has officially been promoted from college football coverage to the network’s NFL team ahead of the upcoming season.
McGrath, who joined ESPN in 2016 and became a mainstay on Saturday college football broadcasts, will take on a major role as the sideline reporter for games aired on NFL Network.
She is also set to serve as the lead fill-in host on NFL Live when regular anchor Laura Rutledge is unavailable.
The high-profile move comes as ESPN prepares for a massive multi-year NFL push following Disney’s $3 billion acquisition of NFL Network, which absorbed the league network’s talent and game package under the ESPN banner.
The promotion also arrives just in time as the Worldwide Leader in Sports builds toward broadcasting its first-ever Super Bowl in 2027.
‘I’m thrilled to expand my role within ESPN’s NFL coverage and for the opportunity to showcase a broader range of skills, from sideline reporting to hosting in studio, while diving deeper into the sport at the highest level,’ McGrath said in a statement.
ESPN broadcaster Molly McGrath has officially been promoted from college football coverage to the network’s NFL team
McGrath, who joined ESPN in 2016 and became a mainstay on Saturday college football broadcasts, will take on a major role as the sideline reporter for games aired on NFL Network.
‘I’m grateful to ESPN for this opportunity and excited to bring the same preparation, passion and commitment that have guided my work in college football to our NFL audience.’
The veteran reporter originally got her start at ESPN as a production assistant in 2011 before building an impressive broadcasting career as a premier sideline reporter and studio host for college football and basketball.
Her move to the NFL leaves a major void on ESPN’s lead college football broadcast crew alongside play-by-play caller Sean McDonough and analyst Greg McElroy.
The network has not yet announced who will replace McGrath on its flagship college football team.
McGrath’s promotion comes during a tumultuous period for ESPN, which sent shockwaves through the sports media world last week after executing a sweeping round of high-profile layoffs.
The network parted ways with several of its most recognizable on-air personalities, including 33-year broadcasting veteran Karl Ravech, NFL analysts Ryan Clark, Cam Newton and Bart Scott, longtime SportsCenter anchor David Lloyd, NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero and injury expert Stephania Bell.
In an internal memo sent to staff, ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro explained that many of the cuts were tied directly to organizational redundancies created by the network’s equity deal and integration with NFL Network.
‘Throughout this process, we have taken the time to carefully evaluate our collective teams, resources and organizational structure to best position us for the future,’ Pitaro wrote. ‘As a result, we had to make some difficult decisions about job impacts.’
