ESPN personality Scott Van Pelt Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

ESPN reveals revamped 'Monday Night Countdown' crew

By Jason Clinkscales | Last updated 8/21/23

The summer of change continues at ESPN as the network announced its new revamped lineup for the "Monday Night Football" pregame show.

Longtime "SportsCenter" anchor Scott Van Pelt takes over as host of "Monday Night Countdown" and will be joined by two other newcomers to the program, analysts Ryan Clark and Marcus Spears. The trio of new faces will work with Alex Smith, Robert Griffin III, Larry Fitzgerald and Michelle Beisner-Buck, all of whom are returning to the show.

Like most kids realizing that summer vacation is nearing the end, Van Pelt — who also signed a new deal with ESPN — tweeted about the news:

I guess summer is OVER - over.

Excited to work on something new and something old. Great people involved with both.

My appreciation for what we get to do and for you all being out there is hard to explain. I remain grateful for it all.
— Scott Van Pelt (@notthefakeSVP) August 21, 2023

Van Pelt, Clark and Spears are replacing Suzy Kolber, Steve Young and Booger McFarland. Kolber, an institution of NFL coverage for ESPN, was laid off in June along with Young, the Hall of Fame former quarterback.

McFarland, a two-time Super Bowl champion defensive tackle, had an oft-criticized tenure on "Monday Night Football" in the 2018 and 2019 seasons and was moved to studio and pregame work in 2020. No other details have been released about his future at ESPN.

The new "Countdown" comes one year after ESPN brought in Joe Buck and Troy Aikman to revitalize "Monday Night Football" after years of unsuccessful lineup changes in the play-by-play booth. The former Fox Sports "A team" — and a better slate of Monday night games — gave the broadcast a long-desired prominence unseen since ESPN added "MNF" from ABC back in the 2000s.

That said, "Countdown" had been a revolving door for some time, with multiple former players coming and going as analysts. Kolber's departure, however, was a stunner because of how long she had been involved with both ESPN and the game of football. Her dismissal only added more spotlight on the show coming into the 2023 season after the success of the improved "MNF" booth in 2022.

The "Countdown" lineup comes after ESPN announced changes to its NBA coverage, with Mike Breen, Doris Burke and Doc Rivers forming its new A team for play-by-play and a new lineup for "NBA Countdown."

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