ESPN makes final decision on college football analyst: report

A familiar face on ESPN's College GameDay is no more as the network goes through major cuts that now affect its college football coverage

ESPN is going through some major cuts that include many well-known names, and among those leaving the network will be David Pollock, for many years a college football analyst and regular face on the network's College GameDay program, according to The New York Post.

A former star defensive player at Georgia, Pollack set Bulldogs records with 36 sacks and 58.5 tackles for loss and during his junior season in 2004 won the Lombardi, Bednarik, and Hendricks Awards, in addition to the Lott Trophy.

He joined College GameDay in 2011 and in 2020 was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Pollack wasn't alone in the bigger names let go by ESPN, according to the media reports: stalwarts like long-time NFL broadcaster Suzy Kolber, NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay, and NBA commentator Jeff Van Gundy are among an expected 20 lay-offs that will save ESPN tens of millions of dollars.

Disney, the company that owns ESPN, had planned to cut around 7,000 jobs from around the company overall and the sports network has been looking to get rid of mid-range personnel earning anywhere from $2 million to $5 million per year.

But big names like Monday Night Football announcer Joe Buck, longtime analyst and commentator Stephen A. Smith, and broadcaster Scott Van Pelt, among other famous faces, are safe from the widespread cuts.

As is Chris Fowler, a voice of college football on ESPN who hosted the College GameDay show from 1990 to 2014 before moving into the broadcast booth as the network's main play-by-play announcer, including for the national championship, alongside color analyst Kirk Herbstreit.

Related: ESPN makes final decision on Chris Fowler

ESPN initially looked to make cuts among those workers in the middle of the ranks but it was expected more cuts were to come involving some other behind the scenes people, and as we now know, many more famous personalities who appear on the air.

(Post)

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