ESPN commentator Jemele Hill is currently featured alongside Michael Smith on the talk show “His & Hers.” She pulled out of the contender pool for Bayless’ spot on Twitter, saying that moving to “First Take” would be “not a promotion for me.”
ESPN radio host and “Highly Questionable” star Bomani Jones also publicly declined interest in the job, saying that he lives in Miami and would not move to New York to do “First Take.”
Another ESPN pundit, Max Kellerman, has the argumentative style to do well on “First Take,” but is currently involved with the TV show “SportsNation” and the radio show “Max & Marcellus” in Los Angeles.
Jon “Stugotz” Weiner, co-star of “The Dan Le Batard” show, has jokingly complained that ESPN hasn’t called him with an offer for the “First Take” job.
ESPN may consider pulling a replacement from the panelist list for their afternoon pundit show, “Around The Horn.” Columnists like Pablo S. Torre and Frank Isola have experience debate sports topics on TV and could react well to Stephen A. Smith’s rants. A more likely candidate is Ryan Ruocco, Stephen A. Smith’s former radio co-host. Ruocco and Smith already have a strong chemistry together and experience with debating each other, which could lead to an easy transition for the show.
ESPN could also consider using a guest host format as they did before Smith joined “First Take.” The format could allow the network to bring in analysts that could promote upcoming broadcasts, such as ESPN’s summer soccer coverage.
The favorite to replace Bayless, however, is radio host Danny Kanell. Co-host of “Russillo and Kanell,” the former NFL quarterback has attracted controversy for his hot takes on targets like Bryce Harper and SEC football. His polarizing reputation would be perfect for a polarizing show like “First Take.”
