Longtime “College GameDay” host Rece Davis has decided to stay at ESPN after Fox “made an all-out effort” to have him become the host of “Big Noon Kickoff” and “one of the faces of its networks,” according to sources cited by Andrew Marchand of THE ATHLETIC. Sources said that Davis has “agreed to a new seven-year deal for tens of millions of dollars.” Marchand noted the exact terms are unknown, but Davis “accepted a slight hometown discount to remain at ESPN that will guarantee him lead hosting duties through the rest of the network’s College Football Playoff deal that runs until 2031-32.” Sources said that CBS “tried to hire ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky” to replace Gary Danielson for its afternoon Big Ten football slot. Orlovsky “turned down the opportunity, though he does not yet have a new deal with ESPN.” Orlovsky earlier this year said that his “contract is up soon” (THE ATHLETIC, 4/13). POYNTER’S Tom Jones wrote “College GameDay” has “more than just style ... it has substance, too,” and a “pivotal part of that substance” is Davis. He is “superb in his role of facilitating the conversation with big-personality analysts” (POYNTER, 4/14).
PRIORITIES: In Seattle, Mike Vorel reported Brock Huard will “step back from his role in Fox Sports’ college football broadcast booth to be the tight ends coach” at Valor Christian High School, where his son is on the team. Huard joined Fox from ESPN in 2019 and had been paired with Jason Bennetti on the network’s No. 2 announce team. He said that his deal with Fox was “coming due” (SEATTLE TIMES, 4/11).
