Reports out of Bristol this morning have Mark May exiting ESPN's College Football Final along with the retiring Lou Holtz. It appears that the trio of Rece Davis, May, and Holtz will be replaced with host Adnan Virk, ACC apologist Danny Kannell, and former NFL receiver Joey Galloway.
The reboot comes at an opportune time, as fans had become increasingly weary of the manufactured shtick that made it seem like the network wasn't even really trying sometimes. A bit of manufactured controversy is sometimes necessary on a show like CFF, but it had begun to feel entirely inauthentic. Fans deserved better on a show which has become the de facto afterparty for college football fans coast to coast.
I do hate that Davis is the proverbial baby being thrown out with the tired, boring bath water. But I have a feeling he'll be okay. Galloway was solid working ABC's coverage of the college football playoff in 2014, and I'm curious to see what he can do over the course of a season. Kanell's anti-SEC trope is a bit of the same schlock that grew old with the prior guys, but he's a smart analyst who has the ability to play it straight when he needs to. Virk is an interesting choice, coming to ESPN from Canadian television where he did entertainment and hockey work. He's filled in some on Baseball Tonight, as well as for Mike & Mike and Keith Olberman. But if he's done any college football work I confess that I missed it. But then his job won't be to tell war stories about his days running with Barry Switzer, it will be to keep the conversation brisk and entertaining. I have no doubt he can swing that.
Of course there's every reason to believe that May will continue to pop up on ABC's coverage. But unless ACC/Big Ten coverage is your thing that's a minor annoyance for Georgia fans. All in all this should be an upgrade to our collective late night viewing experience.