FOX Sports remains serious about trying to challenge ESPN’s “College GameDay” as the preeminent college football pregame show and made a big effort to that end recently.
FOX made an “all-out effort” to woo Rece Davis to become the new host of its “Big Noon Saturday” pregame show, according to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic. Davis also would have become one of the faces of FOX Sports had he made the move, with the opportunity to host the network’s FIFA World Cup coverage as well.
Instead, Davis remained loyal to ESPN with a new seven-year deal worth “tens of millions of dollars.” The move will see Davis remain with “College GameDay” for the remainder of the network’s deal to televise the College Football Playoff.
Davis is one of ESPN’s most prominent faces when it comes to college football. He has been with the network since 1995 and took over as the host of “GameDay” in 2015 when Chris Fowler began doing play-by-play. Seeing him on another network would have been strange, to say the least.
While FOX’s “Big Noon Kickoff” has not eclipsed “College GameDay” in the ratings, it has become popular in part due to the presence of big names like Urban Meyer. Davis would have been a more high-profile host than Rob Stone, who currently occupies the role. It is not clear if FOX is still looking to replace Stone or if this was simply about the opportunity to lure Davis.
