FOX Sports has figured out who will replace Urban Meyer on its “Big Noon Kickoff” college football pregame shows.
The network announced Monday that former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops will replace Meyer, who left to become head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Stoops will take Meyer’s seat, while the rest of the panel will remain the same.
Official: Fox hires for former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops to replace Urban Meyer on Big Noon Kickoff.
Will join last year's cast of Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and Brady Quinn, along with host Rob Stone.
— Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoAP) March 8, 2021
In a somewhat strange twist, this means three of the four panelists will have been involved in the 2005 BCS National Championship. Leinart and Bush were part of the USC team that defeated Stoops’ Sooners that year.
Stoops only retired from Oklahoma in 2017, so his college football perspective should be quite fresh. He’s never done TV work before, but he’s shown in the past that he probably has the wit for it.
“Big Noon Kickoff” has won praise in recent seasons for being an interesting and viable competitor to ESPN’s “College GameDay,” with a panel that can be both entertaining and informative. FOX will hope that Stoops can keep that dynamic intact.
Photo: John Silks/GNU Free License
