Emmanuel Acho has seen his star rise on ESPN as regular contributor to the network’s morning show Get Up!. Now he may be looking to cash in on his higher profile.
Acho has held preliminary talks with FOX Sports according to Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports. He cites sources saying that no deal is imminent, but Acho’s plan is to play out his contract at ESPN before making a decision regarding his future.
FOX is in the middle of revamping the FS1 morning show First Things First. If Emmanuel Acho is indeed in the running for that job, he wouldn’t be the first candidate who’s name has leaked to the media.
“Manny is an intelligent and opinionated speaker whose commentaries are enhanced by his vocal and visual delivery,” said former ESPN producer Gerry Matalon, who served as Acho’s TV coach when Acho left the NFL. “Add to this his competitive nature and lust for vigorous intellectual conversation. It all makes for a highly engaging performer.”
Acho first joined the ESPN family in 2016 after a four-year NFL career. The former linebacker was an All-American at the University of Texas, so it made sense that his career began at the Longhorn Network.
Since then, Acho has appeared on College Football Live regularly. In 2018 he joined Jim Mora Jr. and Chris Cotter for Saturday studio coverage on ESPN2. He was also prominently featured in ESPN’s Megacast coverage of the College Football Playoff semi-finals.
Both ESPN and FOX declined to comment for McCarthy’s story. Acho could not be reached.
