ESPN announces changes to ‘Monday Night Countdown’ lineup

It’s been certain that changes were coming to ESPN’s “Monday Night Countdown” since late June, when host Suzy Kolber and analyst Steve Young, both longtime staples of the show, were let go as part of the network’s latest wave of layoffs.

On Monday, ESPN revealed its revamped “Monday Night Countdown” team, which features several familiar faces and one more notable departure from last year’s lineup.

Scott Van Pelt, an ESPN anchor and host since 2001, will take the lead role on “Monday Night Countdown,” which airs from 6-8 p.m. before ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” broadcasts. Van Pelt, who has hosted the midnight “SportsCenter” since 2015, also received a multiyear contract extension. Terms were not disclosed.

He will be joined on “Monday Night Countdown” by analysts Ryan Clark — who won the Sports Emmy for Outstanding Studio Analyst in May — and Marcus Spears as new faces on the show. Analyst Robert Griffin III, insider Adam Schefter, and features reporter Michelle Beisner-Buck are holdovers from last year. Booger McFarland, who had been an analyst on the program since 2020, is no longer part of the show, though he remains an ESPN employee.

Former players Larry Fitzgerald and Alex Smith are scheduled to appear several times over the course of the season on the program.

Van Pelt also will host the “Monday Night Football” postgame show and “SportsCenter” from the site of the game, with Clark joining him.