Who will replace Suzy Kolber on Monday Night Countdown? Report names two-person shortlist

Suzy Kolber was one of the most shocking names included among the long list of ESPN layoffs recently. She spent 27 years with the company and is one of the most recognizable media personalities who covers the NFL. She has held many different positions doing so, including being a sideline reporter and studio host.

One of the most important and recognizable positions that Suzy Kolber recently held at ESPN was as the main host for the weekly Monday Night Countdown show during the NFL season. With her recent layoff from the Disney owned sports media giant, the popular pregame show is currently left without a host.

Much speculation has been made about who could potentially replace Suzy Kolber in this position, but most assume it will be an internal promotion.

It's likely that one of the big-named media personalities who survived the massive round of layoffs will be given the opportunity to host Monday Night Countdown. According to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, ESPN may have narrowed down its search.

Marchand recently reported that his inside sources have told him that Scott Van Pelt and Laura Rutledge have emerged as the two biggest frontrunners for the position. Each of them currently work for ESPN in various positions and have already developed a strong fan base.

Scott Van Pelt is currently one of the most popular hosts of ESPN's flagship program, SporstCenter. He is also featured on a betting show on the network titled Bad Beats and serves as their lead studio host for various golf coverage, such as The Masters, among other roles. He has been with ESPN since 2001, so his connections and following run extremely deep.

Laura Rutledge also makes sense as a replacement, especially considering her current role with ESPN. She serves as a leading host of the popular daily show NFL Live. Her extensive work hosting a show that exclusively covers the NFL would make the transition relatively smooth to Monday Night Countdown. She could potentially host both shows as well.

How long did Suzy Kolber host Monday Night Countdown?

Suzy Kolber

Suzy Kolber took over as the main host of Monday Night Countdown in 2015, remaining in the position for eight years before being laid off by ESPN. It accounted for a big chunk of her 27 years with the company. The prestigious position has only had four total hosts since the show premiered in 1993. Mike Tirico, Stuart Scott and Chris Berman are the only others besides Kolber.