WNBA Star Chelsea Gray to Join Prime Video As Player Contributor
The sports media landscape is dominated by superstars like Stephen A. Smith, Colin Cowherd, Pat McAfee, and Erin Andrews—A-listers who are the faces of their media companies or networks. But networks know that just like the teams on their air, they need to develop talent. That’s why rising stars are so important.
They represent the future of their platforms, and can set off bidding wars between the companies that discovered them and those that want to poach them.
Some are play-by-play announcers. Some are color commentators. Some are studio analysts. And some are sideline reporters. But they all have one thing in common: We think you will be seeing and hearing their names a lot in the coming years.
Maria Taylor, Greg Olsen, and Noah Eagle would have been on this list in the past. Who will be next?
The inaugural Front Office Sports list of the top rising stars in sports media gives you an inside look at who’s coming up fast in the world of sports media.
This list is unranked and is arranged in alphabetical order.
MJ Acosta-Ruiz (NFLN and ESPN): One of the few bilingual female talents in sports media, the former Dolphins cheerleader was the first Afro-Latina to host a show on NFL Network. She added ESPN to her résumé in 2024, serving as a SportsCenter anchor and sideline reporter for the ESPN Deportes coverage of Monday Night Football.
Jon Anik (UFC): This former ESPNer turned UFC play-by-play announcer has quickly become one of the strongest voices in combat sports. He’s one of UFC’s lead play-by-play commentators. He’s poised to call Saturday’s mega-fight between Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford on Netflix, alongside analysts Max Kellerman and Andre Ward.
Kenny Beecham (ESPN): The network recently added this influencer and his Numbers on the Board podcast crew to its digital coverage of the NBA draft. He describes his group’s approach as “friendship packaged as sports.” He boasts more than 1.4 million YouTube subscribers.
Andraya Carter (ESPN): She jumps off the screen during her coverage of the WNBA and college basketball at ESPN. The former Tennessee star is teaming up with Elle Duncan and Chiney Ogwumike for the new women-led Vibe Check on Disney+. She’s also been a key player covering the rise of WNBA stars such as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.
Mike Coppinger (Ring): Coppinger, who has worked for USA Today, The Athletic, and ESPN, is a boxing reporter who works closely with Saudi official Turki Alalshikh. Coppinger will be a part of Netflix’s broadcast of Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford—a fight promoted by Alalshikh, TKO, and Riyadh Season—this Saturday night from Las Vegas. He is also cohosting Inside the Ring, a new weekly boxing show on DAZN, with Max Kellerman and LeSean McCoy.
Jordan Cornette (NBC): Like Stephenson, Cornette will be a courtside reporter for NBC’s NBA coverage this fall. New NBA jobs from NBC and Amazon were some of the most sought-after positions in sports media in recent months, with hundreds applying for those jobs. The former basketball star and two-time captain at Notre Dame cut his teeth at ESPN’s ACC Network before jumping to NBC in 2023 where he’s also been doing studio shows at Golf Channel. He’s a veritable Swiss Army knife who can work as host, analyst, and reporter.
John Fanta (NBC Sports): The ebullient play-by-play broadcaster recently joined NBC full-time after splitting time last season between NBC and Fox Sports. He will be the lead voice of Big East hoops on NBC and Peacock, in addition to calling Big Ten and Big 12 games. He is also doing studio updates on Big Ten and Notre Dame football this season.
Katie Feeney (ESPN): The 22-year-old Feeney was recently hired by ESPN as a short-form video influencer. She boasts 7.6 million followers on TikTok and more than a million on Instagram. She also has a role on Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday Night Countdown, among the network’s most high-profile shows.
Michael Grady (Amazon and NBC): Grady is migrating from ESPN to calling NBA games for both of the league’s new rights partners. He is also slated to be Amazon’s top play-by-play voice on WNBA coverage. He first made his name calling Timberwolves games.
Bobby Joseph “T-Bob” Hebert (Barstool Sports): Hebert is emerging as a star on FS1’s Wake Up Barstool, with a sharp wit and ability to steer the conversation between a rotating cast of characters. He played center at LSU and hosted a radio show on 104.5 ESPN Baton Rouge before joining Barstool earlier this year.
Jason McIntyre (Fox Sports and iHeart): McIntyre has high energy, and his chemistry with Colin Cowherd on The Herd has helped him break through. His Straight Fire podcast is also an entertaining listen. In his past life, McIntyre was the founder of the influential sports blog “The Big Lead” (where Ryan Glasspiegel worked for several years).
Brock Osweiler (ESPN): Network brass is very high so far on this former NFL quarterback, best known for signing a $72 million deal with the Texans and then being traded to the Browns. He’s made an impression as a college football analyst.
Josh Pate (ESPN): He’s been touted as the next Paul Finebaum. Pate owns and operates his eponymous YouTube show, which boasts 396,000 subscribers. Known as the “Mouth of the South,” Pate offers college football diehards an intriguing mixture of opinion, analysis, and interviews with top coaches such as Ryan Day of Ohio State and Steve Sarkisian of Texas during his “Pate State” speaker series. ESPN added him last month as a contributor for the 2025 season.
Jackie Redmond (WWE and TNT): Redmond distinguished herself as a grinder this past spring, criss-crossing the continent in her dual roles as a backstage interviewer for WWE. Whether in sports or sports entertainment, she has a unique ability to draw personality out of her interview subjects and make for engaging TV.
Ashley ShahAhmadi: This young sideline reporter went viral after her coverage of Texas-Georgia on Dec. 7. “Everybody wanted to hire her after that,” says one source. While she’s focused on SEC football coverage during her young career, the Georgia grad is returning to her first love, basketball, as a sideline reporter for NBC’s NBA coverage this fall.
Michelle Smallmon (ESPN): Smallmon cohosts Unsportsmanlike with Evan Cohen and Chris Canty in morning drive on ESPN Radio. The show has fun chemistry, as none of the three take themselves too seriously. Smallmon previously hosted a popular morning show on 101 ESPN in St. Louis.
Zora Stephenson (NBC): A versatile sideline reporter for NBC’s upcoming NBA coverage and Notre Dame football, as well as a play-by-play voice for Peacock’s Big Ten women’s basketball coverage. The former basketball star at Elon University was the first female announcer to handle play-by-play for a Bucks game.
PK Subban (ESPN): One of the few hockey analysts who can bring a hockey conversation to Stephen A. Smith’s First Take, the three-time All-Star is a key part of ESPN’s NHL coverage. He stood out for studio analysis during the Stanley Cup playoffs, along with veterans Mark Messier, Steve Levy, and John Buccigross.
Manti Te’o (NFL Network): Te’o, the former NFL and Notre Dame linebacker, is making a name for himself as a new cohost on Good Morning Football. He has brought positive energy to the daily program, which is no small task considering it starts at 5 a.m. local time in Los Angeles.
