Behind The Mic: Genie Bouchard Joins ESPN for 2026 US Open; NBC Sports Names College Football Announce Hosts

Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, including new deals, departures, and assignments compiled from press releases and reports around the industry. In this week's edition, OutKick fires and hires new talent this year including Clay Travis and Craig Carton; NFL Media welcomes back team of veteran hosts to this year's talent roster; and more.

Genie Bouchard Joins ESPN for 2026 US Open

Genie Bouchard joins ESPN as a tennis analyst for the 2026 US Open coverage, bringing the perspective of a former Wimbledon finalist and top five player.

ESPN will present exclusive first ball to last ball coverage of the 2026 US Open beginning Sunday, August 24. Full coverage details will be announced closer to the event.

Clay Travis Launched New Outlet After OutKick Departure

Clay Travis has officially launched his new outlet after departing OutKick earlier this summer. On Wednesday, Travis filed his first column on Sport & State, the new sports, culture, and politics venture he will lead after 15 years building, growing, and eventually selling OutKick. Sport & State will feature an all-day lineup of live shows beginning at 8 a.m. ET and running through 5 p.m. ET.

OutKick Signs Craig Carton to Launch New ShowNational multimedia sports platform OutKick announced today the signing of Craig Carton, one of the nation's most recognizable voices on sports radio. Carton will host a new program entitled The Craig Carton Show, launching September 8 with new episodes available every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

The debut of The Craig Carton Show will coincide with OutKick integrating as the official sports brand of FOX News Digital on August 24. This reflects FOX News Digital's commitment to elevating its sports coverage by delivering authentic reporting that connects sports to the issues shaping today's conversations.

OutKick is also debuting a brand refresh with a new logo and tagline, Where Sports and Culture Collide, which will be featured across the platform.

In commenting on the announcement, FOX News Digital's Editorial Executive Vice President Tommy Firth said, This is a pivotal moment for OutKick as the integration with FOX News Digital will expand its reach and influence throughout sports media. Craig Carton's distinctive voice will resonate with our audience and seamlessly meets this moment for OutKick.

Carton added, I'm beyond thrilled to be joining OutKick. I've always been a fan and appreciate their authenticity and willingness to speak their minds. It's something I've done throughout my career and will do during this next chapter of hosting The Craig Carton Show.

The Craig Carton Show will provide Carton's unique perspective on national sports and culture stories and feature interviews with notable guests each week. Carton is a longtime New York sports radio personality and nationally recognized as the premiere voice on WFAN Radio where he's the host of Afternoon Drive. Previously, he was the co-host of the Boomer & Carton show on WFAN for ten years and most recently was the host of the daily podcast and video show, The Craig Carton Show, produced by Fox Sports and Red Seat Ventures. In 2024, he was inducted into the New York State Broadcaster's Hall of Fame.

This fall, OutKick will also launch several new verticals including OutKick University, which will embed the platform on college campuses during the college football season; OutKick OutDoors, covering everything from hunting to camping to fishing; and OutKick Dropkick, a dedicated pro-wrestling news and information hub. Later this year, OutKick will broaden its content offering and release its first animated series, Sports Talk with Cal McCallister, on the site and YouTube.

In June, OutKick announced its integration with FOX News Digital, and has continued to see strong growth. The platform in July 2026 finished with 10.9. million total desktop and mobile unique visitors, up 94% versus the prior year, 55 million total multiplatform views, up 138% versus the prior year, and 66 million total multiplatform minutes, up 201% versus the prior year, according to Comscore.

NFL Media Welcomes Back Andrew Siciliano, Colleen Wolfe and Mike Yam, Adds Trevor Sikkema and Brett Kollmann to Talent Roster

Veteran hosts Andrew Siciliano, Colleen Wolfe and Mike Yam, prominent NFL analyst Trevor Sikkema and emerging content creator Brett Kollmann have joined NFL Media as on-air talent, the National Football League announced today.

Siciliano will serve as host of The NFL Report, which streams Monday through Friday at 7 p.m. ET beginning the week of Aug. 24. Additionally, Siciliano will contribute to NFL Media's on-site coverage of events such as the Super Bowl and NFL Draft.

Wolfe will host Power Rankings which streams Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET during the season, as well as contribute throughout the week to NFL Daily which streams Monday through Friday at 6 p.m. ET.

Yam will also serve as a host of The NFL Report, as well as host editions of NFL GameDay Preview Sunday at 11:30 a.m. ET and Monday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET, and NFL Fantasy Football Show Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET throughout the course of the NFL season.

In their new roles, Sikkema and Kollmann will host NFL Pro, which streams Monday and Friday at 5 p.m. ET beginning Friday, Sept. 4.

In addition to NFL Pro, Sikkema will also appear on shows such as NFL Fantasy Football Show, 40s and Free Agents and The NFL Report, and will be featured across coverage of events such as Super Bowl, the NFL Scouting Combine and NFL Draft.

For Kollmann, he will appear as an analyst on NFL GameDay Preview and The NFL Report, and will be featured across coverage of events such as the NFL Scouting Combine and NFL Draft.

All shows stream on NFL Channel available across FAST platforms, as well as NFL+

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2026/08/25/behind-the-mic-genie-bouchard-j...
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