ESPN went through two major changes this week. On one hand, they fired Ryan Clark during a live show without stating any reason. On the other hand, they gave Tim Tebow a multi-year contract with SEC Nation. Now, Tebow shares his excitement over his IG story.
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“Can’t wait for this season of Nation! @finebaumshow @mattbarrieespn @harp_41 @chase_daniel,” Tim Tebow wrote on his IG Story.
Tebow has already been part of SEC Nation for the last 13 seasons and will continue working on the show. Besides SEC Nation, he will continue covering the College Football Playoff and will continue to appear as an analyst on ESPN shows like College Football Live and SportsCenter.
ESPN Content President Burke Magnus praised Tebow’s impact and made it clear why he got an extension.
“Tim’s unrivaled experience in the SEC combined with his knowledge and genuine passion for the game make him one of the sport’s most credible voices, particularly among the SEC Nation fanbase,” Magnus said.
The SEC Nation team will look different this college football season. Matt Barrie will become the new host. He will replace Laura Rutledge, who hosted the show for almost 10 years. Former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel will also join the show, taking the place of Jordan Rodgers.
Tim Tebow, Matt Barrie, and Chase Daniel will work with former NFL Pro Bowler Roman Harper. Harper has been part of SEC Nation since 2020. Together, they will lead ESPN’s SEC Nation coverage. However, on the other side, Ryan Clark had to bid goodbye to ESPN.
One incident during the previous NFL season reportedly caught ESPN’s attention. During a discussion about Dallas Cowboys star CeeDee Lamb on Get Up, Ryan Clark disagreed with his colleague Peter Schrager and said, “That’s the non-player in you.”
Schrager replied that Clark should not ignore his opinion just because he had never played in the NFL. Clark then said, “Peter, what I need for you to do is not get mad and let me finish.”
Later that day, Clark apologized publicly for the exchange. Reports now mention the incident was one of several reasons that may have hurt his position at ESPN. However, ESPN has never officially said that this incident was the reason Clark lost his job, though firing him while on air caught a lot of attention.
Now, whatever the reason might be, Clark’s no longer part of ESPN’s NFL Live, and fans will surely miss that during the 2026 season.