College football’s pregame battle between ESPN’s iconic “College GameDay” and Fox Sports’ upstart “Big Noon Kickoff” preview has mirrored the intensity of the on-field rivalries over the last couple of years.
This has led to recruiting battles between the two networks, with the latest surrounding “College GameDay” longtime host Rece Davis.
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Fox made an all-out effort to swipe Davis from “GameDay” to become the host of “Big Noon Kickoff” and one of the faces of its networks, sources briefed on the discussions told The Athletic. Davis, though, has decided to stay at ESPN.
Davis has agreed to a new seven-year deal for tens of millions of dollars, according to sources briefed on the deal. 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. Davis, 59, has been with ESPN for three decades.
College TV’s transfer portal is in full flux this offseason. CBS switched Charles Davis off the NFL to replace the retiring Gary Danielson on afternoon Big Ten games. Danielson will have a swan song season this year, while Davis will continue on the NFL this season before going to college in 2026.
Before deciding on Davis, CBS tried to hire ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky, sources briefed on the discussions said. Orlovsky turned down the opportunity, though he does not yet have a new deal with ESPN. Orlovsky said earlier this year that his contract is up soon.
At Fox Sports, No. 2 game analyst Brock Huard recently announced he was stepping away from calling games.
On “Big Noon Kickoff,” Davis would have replaced host Rob Stone. Davis would have also led the men’s World Cup in 2026 and would have called college basketball for Fox.
Fox already stole two “GameDay” stalwarts in recent years: reporter Tom Rinaldi and analyst/researcher Chris (Bear) Fallica. Urban Meyer, a fixture now on “Big Noon,” was formerly on “GameDay,” but had coaching stints between the networks.
The shows’ competition has intensified over the past few seasons. Before last year, both networks had an interest in Nick Saban. Saban went with ESPN and, in combination with Pat McAfee’s energy at the on-campus events, improved the show.
The program also features Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard.
Davis also hosts the college basketball version of “GameDay” and calls football and basketball for ESPN.
(Photo: Kirby Lee / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
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