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Samantha Ponder, Joe Tessitore, Steve Levy, and Brian Griese are being handed new roles in preparation for the upcoming 2016 college football season, ESPN announced on Wednesday morning.
Ponder joins the ABC Saturday Night Football telecast as a reporter, while play-by-play commentator Joe Tessitore moves to the ESPN College Football Primetime game. Levy and Griese will call action on ABC or ESPN on Saturday afternoons.
“Our new assignments demonstrate the depth of our roster and the new growth opportunities that exist within ESPN,” said Mark Gross, ESPN’s senior vice president of production & remote events. “We are all anxiously awaiting the start of the 2016 college football season, one we know will be filled with great moments across ESPN networks.”
Per the release, Ponder will continue her role as a contributor for College GameDay and College Football Live. She will also join the returning ABC booth of play-by-play commentator Chris Fowler and analyst Kirk Herbstreit.
Tessitore will transition to ESPN’s Saturday primetime game after serving as play-by-play caller for Thursday night games during the 2015 season and as host of SEC Nation on SEC Network. Levy will continue his SportsCenter hosting duties and will work an afternoon window on ABC or ESPN with Griese and field analyst Todd McShay.
Tyler Waddell is a member of the Saturday Down South news team. He brings over five years of professional journalism experience and is closing in on a Bachelor's in sports management. Follow him on Twitter (@Tyler_Waddell).
