ESPN has promoted broadcaster Molly McGrath from college football coverage to a full-time NFL role ahead of the upcoming season, the network announced.
McGrath, who joined ESPN in 2016 and became a fixture on Saturday college football broadcasts, will serve as a sideline reporter for games aired on NFL Network. She will also fill in as lead host on NFL Live when regular anchor Laura Rutledge is unavailable.
The move comes as ESPN builds toward broadcasting its first-ever Super Bowl in 2027, following Disney's $3 billion acquisition of NFL Network, which brought the league network's talent and game package under the ESPN banner.
"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. She added that she was grateful for the opportunity and eager to bring the same preparation and passion from her college football work to an NFL audience.
McGrath originally joined ESPN as a production assistant in 2011 before rising to become a lead sideline reporter and studio host for college football and basketball. Her departure leaves a vacancy alongside play-by-play caller Sean McDonough and analyst Greg McElroy on ESPN's flagship college football broadcast crew. The network has not announced a replacement.
The promotion comes amid a turbulent stretch for ESPN, which last week laid off several high-profile on-air personalities including Karl Ravech, Ryan Clark, Cam Newton, Bart Scott, David Lloyd, Tom Pelissero and Stephania Bell. ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro attributed the cuts to redundancies created by the network's integration with NFL Network.
