10:22 p.m. ET Update: The move is official.
Chris Fowleris out and Rece Davisis in as ESPN's "College GameDay" host, according to Those Guys Have All the Fun co-author Jim Miller.
Though not the original host of college football's premier pre-game show - that honor goes to Tim Brando- Fowler is the only host host the vast majority of GameDay's audience knows. For 25 full seasons, Fowler was the guy we woke up to on Saturday mornings for three months a year. Fowler held other gigs throughout the years, formerly as the play-by-play man on ESPN's Thursday Night package and considerable tennis duties during the off-season, but the 2014 season was his first pulling double-duty as GameDayhost by morning and ABC's Saturday Night Footballplay-by-play man by night. All told, Fowler put in seven-hour on-air days in two high-pressure, highly-visible gigs. So perhaps ESPN is lessening the load here. Or perhaps Davis is using the same leverage Fowler used to oust the top play-by-play seat away from Brent Musbergerinto a promotion of his own.
Davis recently completed his 20th year with the network and hosts ESPN's basketball sibling of GameDay throughout the winter. The question, once the move becomes official, will be whether Davis keeps his Thursday Night play-by-play duties alongside Jesse Palmerand David Pollackand who replaces him in ESPN's Bristol studio as the straight man between Lou Holtzand Mark May.
Though Saturday mornings won't be the same without Fowler, GameDay will be in ultra-capable hands with Davis behind the wheel. Different, but capable.
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