ESPN broadcaster Molly McGrath was promoted from college football coverage to the NFL side just in time for the Worldwide Leader\u2019s Super Bowl year. <\/p>\n
McGrath \u2014 who joined ESPN in 2016 as a sideline reporter for ESPN\/ABC Saturday college football games \u2014 will be the sideline reporter on NFL Network\u2019s package of games, as well as the top fill-in host on\u00a0\u201cNFL Live\u201d\u00a0when Laura Rutledge is out, according to Front Office Sports.<\/a> <\/p>\n ESPN will air its first Super Bowl in 2027. <\/p>\n ESPN announcer Molly McGrath reacts during the Indiana Hoosiers versus Oregon Ducks College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on January 9th, 2026, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m thrilled to expand my role within ESPN\u2019s 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,\u201d McGrath told\u00a0FOS\u00a0in a statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n McGrath previously worked as a production assistant at ESPN in 2011. <\/p>\n ESPN and its parent company, Disney, absorbed the contracts of NFL Network talent in a merger that began on April 1. <\/p>\n The company\u2019s $3 billion\u00a0purchase of NFL Network<\/a>\u00a0was announced in January.<\/p>\n ESPN had another round of layoffs that effected on-air talent last Tuesday. <\/p>\n Fernando Mendoza #15 of the Indiana Hoosiers reacts as ESPNs Molly McGrath talks to him after the Hoosiers versus THE Oregon Ducks College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl on January 9, 2026 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/p>\n Molly McGrath covering the NFL Draft in April 2026. Instagram\/Molly McGrath<\/p>\n NFL analyst\u00a0Ryan Clark<\/a>, MLB play-by-play announcer\/host Karl Ravech, NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero, \u201cSportsCenter\u201d anchor David Lloyd, Injury\/fantasy football analyst Stephania Bell, NFL Network analyst Charles Davis,\u00a0\u201cFirst Take\u201d contributor Cam Newton<\/a>, NFL analyst Bart Scott, and boxing, MMA and pro wrestling reporter Andreas Hale were all part of ESPN\u2019s layoffs.<\/p>\n