Laura Rutledge has solidified her role as one of the top voices in football at ESPN, as a major part of the network’s coverage of both college and the NFL.

The widely-respected reporter actually worked the 2023 NFL Draft while nine months pregnant, she has been away from work for the last few months to focus on her family and the birth of a healthy baby.

On Tuesday, Rutledge acknowledged her return to ESPN — just days before Week 1 of the college football season kicks off — in a response to the Little Rock Arkansas Touchdown Club that thanked her for “playing hooky” and attending their event on Monday, while congratulating her return to the network.

“I mean what an incredibly special event,” Rutledge shared in a tweet on Tuesday afternoon after making an appearance at the Little Rock Arkansas Touchdown Club. “The kindness everyone showed to me, the reception, the energy in the room. It is, unequivocally, the best touchdown club that there is anywhere, anytime. I’m just so thankful for the hospitality and I’m really excited for the Razorbacks. I think there was a ton of excitement in the room we saw today and I’m just really thankful to have spent this time with everybody.”

The “NFL Live” and SEC Network host shared on Twitter she gave birth to her second child, and first son on May 25, named Jack Alexander Rutledge.