ESPN hopes to make Peter Schrager its first homegrown star in over a decade | Bobby Burack

If you speak to anyone in or around ESPN, they will tell you the same story about Peter Schrager: ESPN wants him to be its next big star.

On Thursday, the network will debut "Big Day with Peter Schrager." The program will air weekdays at 2 p.m., as OutKick first reported in July.

Schrager joins a short list of individuals with ESPN television shows in 2026 built specifically around their personality. Pat McAfee, Stephen A. Smith, Mike Greenberg and Scott Van Pelt are the others. That group should tell you all you need to know about how the network views Schrager.

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Schrager will also be the first personality under Burke Magnus’ regime to receive a push toward potential stardom. Remember, ESPN did not make McAfee a star. He was already a star before signing with the network. In fact, ESPN licensed McAfee’s show to a then-record-setting deal because it had so mightily struggled to create new stars in-house.

McAfee had leverage because none of the personalities ESPN previously tried to establish had any. That list includes Bomani Jones, Sarah Spain, Katie Nolan, Monica McNutt, Jemele Hill, Michael Smith and Mina Kimes.

Schrager represents a change of pace from that group. He fits ESPN’s preferred direction of leaning into the positivity and excitement surrounding sports, rather than the negative and polarizing coverage that had become standard.

Last month, ESPN executive Mike Foss emphasized during a town hall the company’s desire to move away from "hot takes."

Schrager also provides more expertise than other personalities ESPN hoped to brand around. He has a background in NFL reporting. He is more knowledgeable than those who cover the league primarily through the lens of the culture war.

On the surface, Schrager’s prospects are promising. But concerns remain. One involves the executive who hired and elevated him.

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Last week, OutKick explained how Magnus undermined his own edict and vision by hiring back Stan Verrett to host a throwaway show on NFL Network. During his first tenure, Verrett represented the very type of behavior Magnus had spent the past few years weeding out, including deranged posts, unprofessional direct messages to reporters, and preposterous race talk.

We believe Magnus felt pressure after Ryan Clark name-dropped him in unfounded accusations of racism following Clark’s firing. ESPN did not deny our understanding of Magnus’ position.

If Magnus has set out to prove that he is not a racist, he could derail Schrager’s new show by surrounding him with polarizing individuals eager to impress their audiences on Threads, Bluesky, and Black Twitter.

This is an issue elsewhere at the company. Nearly every ESPN program features a rotating cast of panelists, most of whom viewers are not tuning in to hear. Get Up is now more about Chris Canty and Chiney Ogwumike than Greenberg, one of the last few difference-makers left at the company.

Schrager has not shown that he has the chops to push back against said hysteria. During Super Bowl week, he nodded along on set as NFL defensive lineman Cam Jordan spewed nonsense in an effort to argue that Lamar Jackson is a better postseason quarterback than Josh Allen, despite all evidence to the contrary.

That was a bad look for Schrager. He looked scared.

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Therefore, the question begs whether Schrager is prepared to push back when, say, McNutt and David Dennis Jr. belittle and downplay Caitlin Clark while further advancing racial narratives. Whether he is could swiftly determine the success and perception of his program.

There is a reason NFL Live is growing at double-digit rates while First Take is stagnant. Sports fans want fun, not polarization. We thought Magnus understood that. The hiring of Verrett casts doubt on whether he does.

Finally, while live sports and streaming will ultimately define ESPN’s success, it is important that the network casts Schrager right.

Most of the company’s biggest stars are around 60 years old, including Stephen A., Greenberg and Van Pelt. At 44, Schrager could have a long runway alongside McAfee, who is 39.

Laura Rutledge, 37, Josh Pate, 40, and Malika Andrews, 31, are other potential future stars for the network.

If there were ever a sports personality we would strongly advise to stick to sports and stay off X, it would be Peter Schrager. He has the chance and talents to become one of the faces of ESPN for the next decade.

But ESPN hasn't built a star on its own since Stephen A. Smith. That was in 2015. Schrager will have to buck that trend.