Fox Sports is poised to land another talent from ESPN: Marcellus Wiley.
The co-host of ESPN's "SportsNation" is on the verge of joining Fox Sports in Los Angeles, sources told Sporting News. Wiley is expected to team up with Jason Whitlock on FS1's "Speak for Yourself" weekday afternoon show (5-6 p.m. ET). SN broke the story that Fox was pursuing Wiley a month ago.
The Los Angeles-based Wiley would succeed Colin Cowherd, who has co-hosted "SFY" with Whitlock since the show's premiere on June 13, 2016. Cowherd has been doing triple duty since he was lured to Fox by mentor Jamie Horowitz. Cowherd headlines "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" (noon ET) and co-hosts "SFY" with Whitlock, plus "Fox NFL Kickoff" with Charissa Thompson.
Cowherd is expected to focus on his "Herd" simulcast and his Sunday NFL pregame show, which has been making headway against ESPN's "Sunday NFL Countdown."
He was absolutely in the right! Gender wasn’t the impetus. You can’t attack someone’s character & business and then act like ‘nothing happened’ when they see you in person. Kristine got shook, took cover, deflected, and displaced it as misogyny!🛑 #stayinyolane #maleorfemale💯 https://t.co/R1WdbpSycx
— Marcellus Wiley (@marcelluswiley) June 16, 2018
If he makes the jump, Wiley would join Whitlock, Cowherd, Skip Bayless, Erin Andrews and Chris Broussard on the list of ex-ESPNers who joined Fox. Fox and ESPN declined to comment.
ESPN tried to keep Cowherd when he left for Fox in 2015, according to SportsBusiness Daily. With Horowitz gone for nearly a year at FS1, don't be surprised if ESPN takes another run at Cowherd, inviting him to broadcast from Los Angeles rather than Bristol, Conn.
FS1 bosses Charlie Dixon and Whit Albohm have ambitious plans for "SFY," according to sources. They're expected to double the show's length to two hours from one hour. That means the two-year-old "SFY" to go head-to-head against four ESPN afternoon shows: Wiley's own "SportsNation (4 p.m. ET); Dan Le Batard's "Highly Questionable" (4:30 p.m. ET); Tony Reali's "Around the Horn" (5 p.m. ET); and Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser's "Pardon the Interruption" (5:30 p.m. ET).
Or another likely possibility is that FS1 airs the revamped "SFY" with Whitlock and Wiley from 3 to 5 p.m. ET. That would create an opening for Kristine Leahy's new show between 5 and 6 p.m., where "SFY" currently airs. Her new show is expected to debut this fall.
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Besides celebrity guests, "SFY" also provides a TV platform for other Fox talents such as Jason McIntyre of The Big Lead, basketball experts Chris Broussard and Jim Jackson and ex-NFL stars like Ray Lewis and Greg Jennings.
Wiley, a former All-Pro NFL defensive end, joined ESPN in 2007. Luring Wiley would enable Fox to land a one-two punch vs. ESPN. Besides removing him from "SportsNation," where he co-hosts with Cari Champion and LZ Granderson, ESPN would also have to replace Wiley on ESPN Radio, where he co-hosts a Los Angeles radio show with Travis Rodgers. Wiley could also contribute to Fox's NFL game and studio coverage.
Tim, thanks so much. You did an awesome job, made talking about golf easy. You, Jim Jackson and Greg Jennings all did an excellent job with golf. Thanks so much. https://t.co/QWcFjBmbB3
— Jason Whitlock (@WhitlockJason) June 16, 2018
If Wiley does jump to Fox, it ironically would mark the second time he has succeeded Cowherd on a national show. Back in 2012, Wiley succeeded Cowherd as Thompson's co-star on "SportsNation." He's been a mainstay on the show ever since.
The addition of Wiley would continue a series of talent changes at FS1 studio shows.
With Leahy leaving "The Herd," FS1 moved Joy Taylor from "Undisputed" with Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe to serve as Cowherd's news anchor. Once she returns from FIFA World Cup coverage in Russia, Jenny Taft will succeed Taylor as moderator between Bayless and Sharpe on "Undisputed."
One source expects Wiley to receive close to $2 million annually under his new Fox deal. The windfall once again underlines the star-making potential of ESPN's funky "SportsNation," which Horowitz launched with Cowherd and Michelle Beadle in 2009. Since its premiere, several SportsNation hosts have gone on to bigger, more lucrative TV careers.
Cowherd parlayed his "SportsNation" success into a Fox deal that's estimated to pay him $6 million annually. Kellerman succeeded Bayless on "First Take" with Stephen A. Smith. And Beadle moved to New York from Los Angeles to co-host ESPN's new "Get Up" weekday morning show with Mike Greenberg and Jalen Rose.
Meanwhile, ESPN is expected to retain Le Batard, the network's biggest pending free agent. Despite speculation Le Batard might follow his close friend John Skipper out the door, the "Highly Questionable" host is expected to sign a long-term contract extension with ESPN for both TV and radio. Last October, ESPN recruited Katie Nolan away from Fox.
