ESPN's Rece Davis this fall will replace Chris Fowler as host of the network's "College GameDay," and he said the "good news for us is that I already have a relationship" with his show co-hosts, according to a Q&A with Laken Litman of USA TODAY. Excerpts of the interview are below.
Q: When did the opportunity to become "College GameDay's" host present itself?
Davis: I don’t know how long it’s been in play, but how my role was going to evolve has been a topic of discussion for the last year-and-a-half, couple years, something like that. As my deal was coming to an end and the landscape was changing with the College Football Playoff starting, and us having the rights to it, I had several meetings over the course of that time spread out over a number of months and expressed my desire to have as prominent a role as possible in college football. I already had a prominent role in the studio, and an important one, but I thought it was time for a growth opportunity. ... It was more about what could I do and what role would be the right one in order to have as prominent a place in our coverage as I possibly could.
Q: Have you spoken with the "GameDay" crew about your new role?
Davis: Yes. I actually talked to (Lee) Corso this morning. I’ve worked with coach over the years in various capacities. I worked with him on "GameDay" at the Rose Bowl; and national championship this year. ... He was like he always is, gracious and excited. He told me, “We’re gonna have great fun and we’re gonna kill ‘em. We’re gonna kill ‘em.”
Q: Will you change anything about "GameDay?"
Davis: I don’t think there’s any need to change anything that’s been as successful as "GameDay" has been, when you’re talking in terms of fundamental, radical changes. ... Over the years, "GameDay" has changed and evolved. Certainly when you change the host, there will be certain chemistry dynamics that change as well (USATODAY.com, 2/11).
PASSING THE TORCH: SI.com's Richard Deitsch wrote Davis is replacing Fowler likely because ESPN management "figured out a solution to keep two longtime staffers challenged and happy, and most of all, in-house." Davis said, "It doesn’t always work out this way in our business. A year and a half ago I thought maybe this would be a challenge but from the very beginning [ESPN President] John Skipper and [Exec VP/Programming] John Wildhack said they would find a way to make it all work out." Deitsch noted Fowler giving up his hosting duties is "not a shock," as he said in '13 that he "wanted to focus on live events." "College GameDay" Senior Coordinating Producer Lee Fitting said that Fowler "knew doing both jobs would be a lot of work but it was more of a preparation grind than even he expected." Davis said that he and Fowler "spoke prior to the announcement ... and that Fowler had been 'extraordinarily gracious.'" Fitting added that "nothing will structurally change ... nor will there be any rehearsal shows prior to the first show Davis hosts" (SI.com, 2/9).
