ESPN is moving Marty & McGee out of the early morning hours this college football season, shifting the show from its longtime 7-10 a.m. ET window to a noon start on SEC Network, according to Barrett Media.
SEC Nation will expand to a full three-hour broadcast beginning at 9 a.m. ET with Marty Smith and Ryan McGee taking on bigger roles inside that window before their own show picks up from noon to 12:45 p.m. ET, leading into the network’s 1 p.m. kickoffs. Previously, Marty & McGee occupied a 9-10 a.m. lead-in slot to SEC Nation during football season before reverting to its regular 7 a.m. start in the offseason.
“Marty and McGee is moving to noon on Saturdays. That’s a shift from what we’ve been the last few years,” Smith told Barrett. “Awesome. Our bosses believe that we’re going to flourish here. Okay, badass man. Strike the field. Let’s go.”
“I think I’m third only behind Tim [Tebow] and Paul [Finebaum] when it comes to tenure on SEC Nation. So, I’m really excited to be more involved in the show this year, getting back to my SEC Network roots,” added McGee. “I can’t wait to use that noon hour to get out all over campuses. Nothing beats the energy of tailgaters pregaming while watching the early games. I’m gonna mooch so much smoked meat. And on live television!”
SEC Nation isn’t just moving to a new hour this fall. Behind the desk, the show looks considerably different than it did a year ago. Matt Barrie will take over the SEC Network’s flagship Saturday morning pregame show this fall, succeeding Laura Rutledge. Barrie, who has spent 13 years at ESPN as a college football host, play-by-play announcer, SportsCenter anchor, and, most recently, a host for ESPN’s TGL coverage, will join lead analysts Tim Tebow, Paul Finebaum, and Roman Harper on the road to SEC campuses every Saturday morning during football season.
Rutledge won’t be the only one not returning to the show this fall. Chase Daniel has taken over Jordan Rodgers’ old seat on SEC Nation, with Rodgers moving into an expanded role at ESPN and ABC that now includes calling Friday night college football alongside play-by-play voice Mike Monaco and sideline reporter Dana Boyle.
None of this reshuffling affects Smith’s standing at ESPN. He signed a multi-year contract extension back in April, locking him in as he approaches his 20th anniversary with the network this fall. That deal kept his responsibilities largely intact, continuing his work across College GameDay, SportsCenter, SEC Nation, the Masters and the NFL Draft, on top of Marty & McGee itself. McGee splits his own time similarly, contributing to SportsCenter, SEC Now, College Football Live, and College GameDay in addition to the show he’s co-hosted with Smith since it landed a regular ESPN Radio slot in 2015 and added its SEC Network TV simulcast in 2018.
“I want to grow where I’m planted,” Smith said. “Our bosses have given us these opportunities. And whatever that is, I want to try to dominate that box. Whatever that box is, I want to maximize it. I want to make it grow and bloom and flourish with resonance that far surpasses what I had maybe hoped for.”
The move gives ESPN a chance to rearrange its entire Saturday-morning SEC block without altering the ingredients that already work. For Smith and McGee, that means a new hour and a heavier presence inside SEC Nation itself. There’s plenty of skepticism that a show built around a slower, more meandering morning pace can hold up once it’s sandwiched between tailgates and kickoff, but the new setup gives them a chance to prove that what works at 7 a.m. can work just as well at noon.
The post ESPN moves ‘Marty & McGee’ to noon Saturdays, expanding ‘SEC Nation’ to three hours appeared first on Awful Announcing.