Go figure, a bona fide sports television superstar who is neither self-aggrandizing nor disingenuous. ESPN’s Laura Rutledge is a sports media rarity – real, authentic, and true.
Rutledge came to prominence covering college football but has become one of the foundation talents for ESPN, joining the likes of Mike Greenberg, Malika Andrews, Stephen A. Smith, Hannah Storm, and Scott Van Pelt.
In recent months, ESPN has shuffled on-air personalities like a deck of cards at the Bellagio. Many of these changes have been due to changing trends in the business and nasty budget cuts.
In the wake of this tidal wave of change, Rutledge has not only stayed afloat, but is riding the crest in a manner that would make Kelly Slater blush. Principally, Rutledge is the host of ESPN’s year-round weekday NFL news and information show NFL Live, and SEC Network’s SEC Nation. She has also done yeoman’s work as a sideline reporter for ESPN’s NFL coverage.
Since joining ESPN in 2014, Rutledge has been on a steady rise. She has contributed to the network’s Pro Bowl and NFL Draft coverage and has filed stints on Get Up, SportsCenter, the ESPYs, the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships, and both the Women’s College World Series and College World Series.
The University of Florida grad worked at CNN and Fox Sports prior to landing at ESPN. She is married former MLB infielder Josh Rutledge and mom to daughter Reese and son Jack. Clearly, Laura Rutledge answers to a lot of titles – host, reporter, commentator, social media star, wife, and mom, but running through all of these is one consistent word: genuine.
Rutledge puts on no airs and seems sincerely thrilled, even joyous, to be surrounded by a bevy of co-hosts and panelists. This attitude and on camera presence has cemented Rutledge as one of sports television’s most recognizable and affable personalities.
As host of NFL Live, Rutledge adeptly dishes out commentary time to a mélange of diverse characters. Marcus Spears: the ex-LSU and NFL defensive end whose passion for football is palpable, Ryan Clark: the articulate former player who is unafraid to hand out biting criticism, Dan Orlovsky: the excitable commentator who can fill an hour of airtime answering one question, Adam Schefter: the insider extraordinaire who breaks stories like Tyreek Hill breaks defensive backs’ ankles, and Mina Kimes: the savvy and sage commentator who provides balance.
Corralling this group requires a steady demeanor and impeccable tempo and timing. Enter Rutledge, who moves the agenda and dialogue forward and, in the process, brings out the best in each panelist’s skill set.
Rutledge was the 2012 Miss Florida and competed in the Miss America Pageant. Over a decade later, that stage presence remains, cutting through the screen with a welcoming smile, positive attitude, and voice intonation that sets up the topic and leads into her questions.
Laura Rutledge also knows when to interject her own thoughts supporting or challenging what a colleague states. As Rutledge’s on-air resume has grown, her performance has blossomed. At times, more exposure serves to expose the weaknesses in on-air talents. Can they take the heat? Will they crumble under the brighter lights? Are they versatile enough for a new challenge?
Rutledge has done anything but stay in her lane. She has shifted into overdrive, kicked in the turbochargers, and broken from the pack. Like a great athlete, she has taken her game to a new level with each higher-profile assignment.
With hard work, knowledge, and pure charm, Laura Rutledge has become the most watchable talent in sports television. She has also used social media to promote her work, her programs, and her family life.
While Rutledge’s career path is skyrocketing to the heavens, she has maintained a personae that is firmly down to earth. She emits to her audience an aura that is both approachable and accessible.
As the host of SEC Nation on SEC Network, Rutledge is supremely at home. Her wheelhouse and her roots are in college football, and she brings credibility, experience, and vibrance to that program. With a whole new set of analysts, Rutledge remains the ultimate moderator, posing pointed questions to Paul Finebaum, Roman Harper, Jordan Rodgers, and Tim Tebow.
Once again, these panelists vary in style. Finebaum is the grizzled and cynical sage of college football – a guy who has been woven into the fabric of the game across multiple platforms for decades. Harper, the ex-Alabama star who played for the Saints and Panthers in the NFL, brings understated insight and real talk.
Rodgers, the brother of Jets’ QB Aaron Rodgers, is the young kid on the block adding new wave style and flash, and of course there is Tebow. One of the truly great analysts in college football, Tebow adds superstar knowledge and presents his opinions in a concise, entertaining, and always enlightening manner.
Taking a page from ESPN’s wildly popular College GameDay program, SEC Nation generates every week from a college campus where a crucial SEC game is occurring. Rutledge is extremely comfortable in this setting. She interacts and rallies the already rabid crowd, works the scene and setting, and has even joined in doing routines with cheerleaders.
While SEC Nation may be Rutledge’s labor of love, NFL Live has been her streetcar to stardom. Since taking over the hosting reins from Wendi Nix in 2020, Rutledge and her cohorts have taken the program to new heights.
Laura Rutledge usually opens the show reporting the news of the day with several top stories. On the October 18 edition, she had terrific back-and-forth with Schefter on the rash of NFL quarterback injuries with reports on Anthony Richardson, Deshaun Watson, Justin Fields, and Trevor Lawrence.
Rutledge then seamlessly transitioned to statistics on the New Orleans Saints’ struggling offense in preparation for the Thursday Night Football game between the Saints and Jaguars. She questioned Orlovsky on the Saints’ woes setting him up perfectly for his always-on-point analysis.
After a humorous Lost in Translation segment featuring coaches’ press conference comments, Rutledge brought the show back to the topic at hand, moving the conversation to the Lions at Ravens and Dolphins at Eagles Week 7 showdowns.
This is Rutledge’s true strength as a host. She can play along with the gags and ride a spontaneous and humorous riff, but she knows exactly when to bring the proceedings back to the next topic of analysis.
Laura Rutledge is an unfeigned reporter and host, one who is more concerned with the overall effectiveness of the show than with her own self-promotion. To every assignment and role, she brings an honest essence – the heartbeat of a real college and pro football fan. The bottom line is that if you don’t like watching Laura Rutledge on television, you don’t like watching television.
John Molori is a weekly columnist for Barrett Sports Media. He has previously contributed to ESPNW, Patriots Football Weekly, Golf Content Network, Methuen Life Magazine, and wrote a syndicated Media Blitz column in the New England region, which was published by numerous outlets including The Boston Metro, Providence Journal, Lowell Sun, and the Eagle-Tribune. His career also includes fourteen years in television as a News and Sports Reporter, Host, Producer working for Continental Cablevision, MediaOne, and AT&T. He can be reached on Twitter @MoloriMedia.
