Ad Disclosure
ESPN announces Maria Taylor’s replacement as sideline reporter for ABC’s Saturday Night Football
By Adam Spencer
Published:
Recently, Maria Taylor left ESPN to join NBC Sports. That leaves the Worldwide Leader with several holes to fill in their coverage, including when it comes to college football.
Taylor served as the sideline reporter on ABC’s Saturday Night Football primetime game, joining broadcasters Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit.
On Monday, ESPN announced in a press release that veteran reporter Holly Rowe would replace Taylor as part of the primetime broadcast:
“When they told me, I just started crying because I’ve been obsessed with college football my entire life,” Rowe said. “It’s a dream come true and I’m thankful to my bosses for this opportunity. I’m starting my 26th season covering games on ABC and ESPN, and it’s been long years filled with hard work. I’m excited to join what’s been established as the best team in college football with Chris and Kirk, and I hope to be the world’s best teammate to them.
“Early in my career, I would cover the NCAA Division III National Championship every year and I met a legendary coach named Frosty Westering,” Rowe added. “His quote for life was ‘make the big time where you are’ so you’re not always chasing the big time. I’ve adopted that as my personal mantra and I’ve tried to make the ‘big time’ where I am, putting my heart and soul into every show and every game. It’s really special for that to finally pay off and I’m just grateful, honored and humbled.”
Rowe has covered college football for ESPN and ABC for 26 years. She joined the network as a full-time reporter in 1998.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
