Stephen A. Smith has a wishlist for the future of First Take, and there is one name he is not beating around the bush about.
“I want Shannon Sharpe on First Take, period,” he said on the Friday edition of The Stephen A. Smith Show.
Speculation began almost immediately after Shannon Sharpe announced that he was leaving FS1 that he may end up with ESPN. Smith confirmed that, while no deal is done yet, it is more than just rumor and wishful thinking.
“The conversations are official, the reports have not been misnomers or misreports or anything like that,” he said. “We are talking to him and I’m hopeful, very hopeful, very confident that ultimately we will be announcing sooner than later that he will be on First Take.”
Sharpe’s wasn’t the only name Smith mentioned. He has said in the past that he likes the show’s current setup with Molly Qerim as the host and him debating a guest every day. With the football season around the corner, Smith said he hopes the rotation for the fall includes First Take regulars Ryan Clark, Marcus Spears and Dan Orlovsky. He added that he hopes Kimberley A. Martin and Mina Kimes will join the mix as well.
Smith has been on vacation, but is expected to be back on ESPN next week. It is expected that in the coming days he will address the status of Michael Irvin at the network and whether or not he will be returning to First Take in 2023.
