Scott Van Pelt reportedly getting major new gig at ESPN

Scott Van Pelt witnessed it as a first-time Gala attendee at the 16th Annual Dick Vitale Gala held at the Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota, Friday evening May 7, 2021. Credit: THOMAS BENDER/SARASOTA HERALD-TRIBUNE via Imagn Content Services, LLC

ESPN has settled on a familiar face to replace Suzy Kolber as host of “Monday Night Countdown.”

Scott Van Pelt will take over as the host of “Monday Night Countdown,” according to Richard Deitsch of The Athletic. The choice came down to Van Pelt and Laura Rutledge, with Van Pelt getting the nod.

Scott Van Pelt will be getting the Monday Night Football Countdown job, via multiple sources.

As @AndrewMarchand reported: It was he and Laura Rutledge who were up for it but I'm told that decision has been made and all parties know.

It's Van Pelt.

— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) July 19, 2023

Van Pelt remains one of ESPN’s most prominent personalities. He currently hosts the popular weeknight “SportsCenter” that typically airs after major live events on the network, and was an ESPN Radio co-host prior to that. He should have no problem adapting his skillset to host “Countdown.” He will replace Kolber, who was part of the network’s recent layoffs.

Last month, Van Pelt made some waves by saying that he did not expect his run as “SportsCenter” host to last much longer. Maybe he had an inkling this was coming, though it is unclear if he will handle both duties for now.