Fox Sports swung big in an attempt to shake up the college football pregame landscape—and nearly pulled off a game-changer.
According to recent reports from multiple outlets, the network made a huge offer to Rece Davis, who has been one of the faces of College GameDay on ESPN, hoping to lure him away to become the new frontman for Fox's Big Noon Kickoff. That show, which has been trying to chip away at GameDay’s long-running dominance on Saturdays, clearly wanted to make a splash—and what better way than to poach the guy who’s been holding down the GameDay desk for nearly two decades?
But Davis turned them down. And not because Fox didn’t put real money on the table. The offer was said to be substantial—so much so that it included major on-air responsibilities like leading coverage for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup and working college basketball broadcasts.
Still, Davis chose to stay where he’s been since 1995.
According to reports from The Athletic, he agreed to a new seven-year deal with ESPN that’s reportedly worth “tens of millions.” Not only does the deal keep him in the host chair for College GameDay through at least 2032, but it also locks him in for the remainder of ESPN’s current contract with the College Football Playoff.
Rece Davis has been the constant presence amid a rotating crew that’s recently included Nick Saban, Pat McAfee, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, and of course, the legendary Lee Corso when he is able to make it. Davis doesn't have as bold of opinions — at least most of the time — as his other panelists, but he does a good job of keeping the conversation going.
Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff, for all its effort, hasn’t been able to dethrone GameDay in terms of reach or fan devotion. And while it boasts a strong cast—Rob Stone, Charles Woodson, Brady Quinn, Matt Leinart, and Urban Meyer—it’s still very much the challenger brand. Bringing Davis into the fold could have changed that, or at the very least given Big Noon a jolt of credibility and familiarity that might’ve drawn more viewers away from ESPN.
The fact that Davis stayed anyway, even for what was reportedly “a slight hometown discount,” says a lot about how much he values the tradition and platform of College GameDay. It also speaks to the power ESPN still holds in the world of college football media, even with challengers like Fox breathing down their neck.