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Morning Edition

November 26, 2025

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The news on Monday that longtime ESPN women’s hoops host Elle Duncan is departing for Netflix at the end of the year has set off a frenzy of speculation outside as to who will replace her, and a “stampede” of resumé-reviewing inside ESPN, sources tell Front Office Sports.

— Michael McCarthy [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]], and Eric Fisher [[link removed]]

Elle Duncan’s Exit Sets Off ‘Stampede’ Inside ESPN [[link removed]]

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

News of Elle Duncan’s possible jump to Netflix has set off a “stampede” of on-air talents angling to fill her multiple marquee roles within ESPN, sources tell Front Office Sports.

Scores of on-air talents—both with experience covering women’s basketball and working as a host—are eying Duncan’s portfolio of jobs at the four letters. They include co-hosting the 6 p.m. SportsCenter with Kevin Negandhi as well as serving as women’s college basketball host for College GameDay and host of WNBA Countdown.

“The resumes are flying. There’s going to be a lot of people fighting for these jobs. Burke’s phone is going to be lighting up,” says one source, referring to ESPN president of content Burke Magnus.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Duncan’s departure was not even official yet, and she was still talking with ESPN management about her future. But given ESPN and Fox’s hard-line stances [[link removed]] against sharing talent with streamers, it’s unlikely she’ll be able to pull off an arrangement where she works for Disney and Netflix. Instead, Duncan will probably leave ESPN when her contract expires at the end of 2025, say sources.

The Athletic [[link removed]] first reported Duncan’s negotiations with Netflix.

ESPN won’t rush into hiring Duncan’s replacements either. As the network did when Molly Qerim [[link removed]] left First Take, it will likely take a few months to audition people inside and outside the network. ESPN eventually tapped Shae Cornette to succeed Qerim, as first reported by FOS [[link removed]].

ESPN has a deep bench between its TV and digital operations. Here are 11 names we’re hearing could succeed Duncan in her various roles:

Inside ESPN:

Malika Andrews: Easily the odds-on favorite to succeed Duncan for her WNBA and women’s college basketball duties. Both ESPN and parent company Disney love the 30-year-old NBA Countdown host. With her studio show now playing second fiddle to Charles Barkley’s Inside the NBA, ESPN could make it up to Andrews by giving her some of Duncan’s marquee assignments.

Andraya Carter: She stood out as part of a women’s basketball trio [[link removed]] with Duncan and Chiney Ogwumike the past couple of seasons. Triple threat analyst/reporter/host. Speaking of Ogwumike…

Chiney Ogwumike: This rising star has done just about everything for ESPN. The former WNBA All-Star covers both pro and college women’s basketball. She even executive-produced the ESPN Films documentary, 144, about the WNBA’s 2020 season.

Christine Williamson: She’s got SportsCenter anchoring experience, frequently co-hosting the 2 p.m. version with Matt Barrie. Williamson also filled in for Qerim—and got a long look from management for the First Take hosting job.

Monica McNutt: The former Georgetown star knows pro and college hoops. Went viral for standing up to Stephen A. Smith [[link removed]] on his own show. But she’s more of an analyst than a host or anchor.

Amina Smith: She’s relatively new at ESPN, joining the worldwide leader in March 2024. But she’s coming up fast. She got an audition hosting First Take, which bodes well for her future.

Nicole Briscoe: One of the network’s best, most versatile SportsCenter anchors. She’d make a great new partner for Negandhi at 6 p.m.

MJ Acostas-Ruiz: She did well guest-hosting First Take. The bilingual anchor and sideline reporter was the first Afro-Latina to host a show on NFL Network.

Kelsey Riggs Cuff: She’s served as studio host for ESPN’s regular season and postseason women’s college basketball coverage since 2021, including during the NCAA tournament. She also hosts ACC Network’s Nothing But Net, which covers both men’s and women’s college hoops.

Outside ESPN:

Jamie Erdahl: The host of NFL Network’s Good Morning Football is not known for hoops coverage. But nobody knows what will happen to her morning show if the proposed NFL Network-ESPN merger goes through. Did we mention she was a point guard at St. Olaf College in Minnesota?

Amanda Guerra: Keep an eye on this host/reporter for CBS Sports. Plenty of hosting experience via The NFL Today+ and CBS Sports HQ.

ESPN and Netflix declined comment for this story.

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Post-NFL College Hoops Is New Thanksgiving Trend for CBS and Fox [[link removed]]

Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

As the NFL anticipates setting more regular-season TV ratings records on Thanksgiving Day, college basketball broadcasters and organizers are happily riding the league’s coattails as a new sports viewing trend emerges on the holiday.

For the first time, both Fox and CBS will air men’s college basketball games directly following their respective Thanksgiving Day NFL games.

Here is Thursday’s lineup (all in Eastern Time):

1 p.m.: Packers at Lions (Fox) 4:30 p.m.: No. 16 North Carolina vs. No. 11 Michigan State (Fox) 4:30 p.m.: Chiefs at Cowboys (CBS) 8 p.m.: No. 4 Duke vs. No. 22 Arkansas (CBS)

This year’s Turkey Day NFL–college basketball slate comes after Fox and CBS the past two years aired the two most-watched regular-season college hoops games since 2008. Both of those matchups were in the late afternoon window, directly following the early Thanksgiving Day NFL game. Fox drew 5.18 million viewers for Michigan State–Arizona in 2023, and CBS drew 5.17 million viewers for Illinois-Arkansas in 2024.

Both college basketball games on Thursday are neutral-site matchups organized by Intersport, a major industry agency. UNC–Michigan State is the finale of the four-day, eight-team Skechers Fort Myers Tip-Off event in Florida. Duke-Arkansas is the headliner of the single-day CBS Sports Thanksgiving Classic at the United Center in Chicago, which includes just one other game (Oklahoma State–Northwestern at 10:30 p.m. ET on Peacock).

The opponents were strategically selected, Intersport SVP Mark Starsiak tells Front Office Sports, like putting the Spartans after the Lions to attract more fans with Michigan ties. “As long as you set the matchups properly and you’re avoiding a [knockout-style] tournament, you can find a home for the right games on one or both networks every Thanksgiving,” Starsiak says.

There is an obvious attraction for programs to capitalize on strong lead-in audiences from any NFL game, but especially Thanksgiving matchups, which are annually some of the most-watched TV windows (sports or otherwise) of the year. In 2024, Bears-Lions drew 37.4 million viewers on CBS [[link removed]], and Giants-Cowboys drew 38.5 million viewers on Fox [[link removed]].

On Thursday, a competitive Chiefs-Cowboys game is widely expected to break the NFL’s previous regular-season viewership record of 42.1 million for Giants-Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day in 2022. The matchup could even hit 50 million viewers [[link removed]].

College basketball has long had a place on cable channels on Thanksgiving, as early-season tournaments fill broadcast slots for networks like ESPN, FS1, and others. Moving forward, college hoops will “continue to have a seat at the table” for network TV consideration on the holiday with “the right matchups,” Starsiak says.

San Diego FC Isn’t Performing Like an Expansion Team [[link removed]]

Abe Arredondo-Imagn Images

Major League Soccer expansion club San Diego FC is making history within the league, and it also is reshaping its Southern California sports market already in the midst of a large-scale transition.

The club defeated Minnesota United FC, 1–0, to advance to the Western Conference final, continuing its dream campaign that also doubles as its inaugural season. San Diego FC will face the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday, with the winner advancing to MLS Cup.

If that happens, San Diego FC could face Inter Miami, which is similarly reaching unprecedented heights thanks in large part to the heroics of Argentine legend Lionel Messi [[link removed]]. Regardless of the final opponents for San Diego FC, though, the club is seeking to become the first MLS expansion team to win the league title since the Chicago Fire in 1998—just the third season for the league and when it had only 12 franchises.

Danish forward Anders Dreyer, who scored the lone goal in the win over Minnesota United FC, continued his ascendance as the breakout star of MLS following his arrival in January from Belgium’s Anderlecht. Dreyer has been named to the league’s Best XI [[link removed]] squad, won the Newcomer of the Year award, and is a finalist for the Most Valuable Player award, along with Messi and three others.

Beyond the on-field exploits, though, San Diego FC has been an unqualified success story off the pitch. The club averaged 28,064 per game in attendance at Snapdragon Stadium, ranking fourth in the league. The three teams ahead of San Diego FC—Atlanta United FC, the Seattle Sounders, and Charlotte FC—each play in NFL facilities, while Snapdragon Stadium has a seating capacity of just 32,500.

The club has almost immediately solidified itself as a core part of the San Diego pro sports scene, one that saw the departure of the NFL’s Chargers for Los Angeles in 2017, an MLB Padres team that is now for sale [[link removed]], and the NWSL’s San Diego Wave.

“I’ve seen expansion teams like St. Louis do really well, and other teams that came into the league that did not do well [right away],” said MLS commissioner Don Garber at the recent opening of San Diego FC’s Right to Dream Academy. “It’s easier to be new than it is to be new and improved. So I admire everything that they’ve done. … What’s really impressive is how quickly this team has become established in this city and within this region. They’ve done it right.”

Conversation Starters Saudi Arabia is building a $500 million Formula One track. It will be half the size of Singapore and have no grandstands. Check out the renderings [[link removed]]. The University of Montana’s president buys pizza for students [[link removed]] during the third quarter of every Grizzlies football home game. Henrietta High School in Texas gave its football team a cowboy send-off as it heads to the playoffs. Take a look [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks Judge Erases Kalshi’s Early Win in Legal Fight With Nevada [[link removed]]by Ben Horney [[link removed]]The state’s gaming regulator can demand Kalshi stop offering sports event contracts. In Win for NCAA, Court Overturns Eligibility for Rutgers Player [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]An appeals court overturned an injunction that granted Rutgers’s Jett Elad eligibility. F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix Breaks Viewership Record In Year 3 [[link removed]]by Colin Salao [[link removed]]The previous two races started at 1 a.m. ET. Question of the Day

Do you plan to watch both NFL and college basketball on Thanksgiving?

Yes [[link removed]] Just NFL [[link removed]] Just CBB [[link removed]] Neither, just turkey [[link removed]]

Tuesday’s result: 21% of respondents said they would watch the MLS Cup if Lionel Messi isn’t featured, 18% said no, and 61% said they’re not planning to watch at all.

Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Show [[link removed]] Written by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]] Edited by Lisa Scherzer [[link removed]], Dennis Young [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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